Changing of the Seasons
by Claude the Author
Summary: A witch apprentice estranged from her family's legacy; a teenage werewolf forcefully separated from the only life he's known. Over the course of a year, their lives will intertwine in the oppressive realm of the Haunted Forest, setting the stage for greater things to come.
1. CH 1: The Arrival

**Changing of the Seasons**

_\- A New Testaments: Secret of Mana Side Story -_

**Introduction:** This is the story formerly known as _Eliza the Witch: Seasons Change_, a side story to _New Testaments: Secret of Mana_. We did extensive rewriting and revising for NTSoM, so it felt natural for me to do the same with this story too. _Changing of the Seasons_ is set nine years after _Secret of Mana_, and around a year prior to NTSoM, and unfolds across four seasons over nine chapters.

**Summary:** Eliza is the teenage niece of the witch Elinee and a novice with magic due to various circumstances. Garr is the son of the leader of a pack of werewolves, always moving and with little understanding of the world outside of what he is allowed to know. When these two characters meet, it will be a clash of cultures, and they'll discover ominous rumblings that will lead into the conflict of _New Testaments: Secret of Mana_.

**Disclaimer:** Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu, Elinee, and all SoM characters are the property of Square Enix. Eliza, Garr and any original characters are my creation unless otherwise specified.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Arrival**

The changing of the seasons brings the changing of life.

Tucked in a dank, thorny forest in the Lower Lands, an aged fortress stands, an ominous place referred to in strained whispers as the Witch's Castle. Elderly Elinee, the former witch in question, had long since renounced her powers and settled for a quiet and peaceful life within the halls of the castle. The nature of the Haunted Forest was seldom affected by the seasons, but Elinee's life was about to experience an abrupt change.

Elinee hummed to herself as she worked over an old stove. Behind her were three wooden chairs brought to life through old sorcery, stepping to her tune in tandem. The aroma of cooking meat and vegetables wafted through the halls of the castle. A knife casually slid its handle into her opened palm as she reached for it. She cut and diced a plethora of vegetables: carrots, potatoes, and even some shavings of the red, beet-like medical herb for good health. Rolling across her eardrums was the distant pounding of the castle doors. She let go of the knife (which guided itself back onto a rack) and strolled out of her kitchen and down the hall, the chairs galloping behind like loyal pets.

The rapping against the door continued until Elinee reached for the large, rusted handle and tugged at one of the double doors. She was greeted with a gust of wind and rain, whipping against the brown shawl draped over her old shoulders. A cloaked figure darted inside, sending the chairs into an agitated frenzy. The figure, wrapped in a soaking wet black cloak, revealed herself to the old woman struggling to close the door against the raging winds.

"Hi Auntie," the girl said as the black cloak fell on the floor in a clump over a bag. A pointed blue hat with a pink ribbon tied around it sat atop her long, blonde hair, one thick strand fell between her emerald eyes. A blue top and skirt were tied together by a pink cloth wrapped around her waist and knotted into a bow in the back. Raising up to her knees were blue boots; a short, transparent pink cape trailed behind her. Two blue armbands covered the length of her forearms.

Elinee's aged eyes squinted at the figure in the poor light. "Eliza...?" Her wrinkled face mouthed in disbelief. A flash of lightning spilled into the corridor and the downpour of rain increased. Eliza dove in for an embrace and hugged her aunt for the first time in years. The house furniture responded to the gesture by letting their guard down.

"Wha...what are you doing here?" Elinee nearly gasped once she parted with her niece.

"Didn't mom tell you...? You know...inheritance and stuff," Eliza explained casually.

Elinee narrowed her eyes. In her youth, her younger sister Eleanor had fled the confines of the castle for greener pastures, forfeiting any rights she had to their legacy and leaving it in the sole care of Elinee. Eleanor eventually came to regret her decision and partially blamed her sister for letting her make that choice in the first place. Now that Eliza was inching ever closer to her eighteenth birthday, the eligibility of the next generation was coming into play. Eleanor was most likely hoping that Elinee's old age would catch up with her sooner rather than later so that Eliza could be there when the castle fell into her lap. Being the manipulator that she was, Eleanor would most likely find a way to nonchalantly usurp the castle from her own daughter's possession if it ever came to it.

Eliza had taken it upon herself to look around the hallway and peer down a corridor or two. "I haven't been here in years," she murmured to herself. The furniture swayed with her every step, expecting her to lunge at them at any moment. "Mmmm, something smells good!" she exclaimed after sniffing the air. Picking up her old black cloak and bag and carelessly tossing them onto the nearest chair, she started in the direction of the kitchen, the clicking of her boots against the stone floor masking the growling emanating from the animated seats.

Elinee thoughtfully lifted the cloak from the chair and smiled. _A little bit of youth might be just what this old castle needs_, she thought.

* * *

"The Lower Lands are quite far away from your home," Elinee murmured. "What do you plan on doing while you're here?"

"I dunno!" Eliza replied, a bit bubbly. "I never thought about owning my own castle. Mom literally dropped this 'inheritance' business on me just a couple of weeks ago. But, you know, I **had** to get out of the Ice Country. When Mom suggested coming here again, why would I say no?" She raised a spoonful of soup and took a sip, having since settled down for dinner with Elinee.

They sat at a small square table on two of the few chairs that hadn't been brought to life. Elinee had a large dining hall with a table that stretched the length of the room and chandeliers that glistened above, but she never had the company to fill that drafty room. This was a more personal, preferable dining room.

"But honestly, I was thinking about practicing my magic," Eliza admitted.

Elinee gave her niece an incredulous look. "How exactly do you plan to do that? Mana's been gone since the Tree and the flying Fortress..."

Eliza set the spoon to the side and leaned forward, throwing a shady glance to three chairs sitting in the corner. If they had eyes, she would have sworn that they were glaring. She then muttered under her breath, "I managed to get a spark of magic working last week."

The old woman nearly toppled over. The chairs approached, fearing that something had happened to their master until Elinee straightened herself and whispered, "... How did you manage that?"

Eliza shrugged. "I don't really know... I was bored one day, tried a spell, and got a little spark as a result. It wasn't what I was trying to do, so..." her carefree attitude didn't seem to reflect her understanding of the magnitude of this knowledge, Elinee thought. But the girl had no reason to lie.

"Goodness! Do you think it's possible that Mana could be... returning?" Elinee asked, gasped, and then clasped her hands over her mouth in fear of the words she allowed to escape her own lips.

"Well, I'm not a history buff," Eliza remarked, taking another spoonful of rabite stew. "But... I have heard the saying that history repeats itself, and the world is never without Mana for too long."

"Well, that's true," Elinee agreed, rubbing her wrinkled hands together. "Various legends tell of cataclysmic events that resulted in the fluctuation of Mana, but not once did things stay in a state of crisis. And if Mana were to return, I wouldn't be able to sense it... since I lost my magical prowess years ago," the old woman said, her gaze becoming distant as she reflected on memories of the past.

"Speaking of magic, would you, uh... do you think you could... teach me a few things?" Eliza asked innocently.

"What? You mean a few spells, do you?"

"No, I mean... teach me all you know about magic!" Eliza batted her lashes as she gave her aunt her most charming smile.

Elinee was taken aback, as were the chairs. "You want to become my apprentice? Eliza, why?"

"Magic runs in our family. We're all adept with it." Eliza stared down into her soup and sighed. "Well, everyone else in the family. I know a few things, but I've never had any kind of formal training. And though my mother would never admit it, you are the best in the family."

"I... I don't quite know about this just yet, Eliza." Elinee's old face was riddled with worry. Eliza was right about her magical roots, but Elinee wasn't quite sure if such a "burden" needed to be passed on. After all, she had turned towards the dark side of magic before losing her powers completely.

The meal continued in silence shortly afterwards. Elinee had eventually stopped eating altogether and began to think long and hard about passing her knowledge down to her niece. Eliza backed off of the discussion so that any begging or nagging wouldn't ruin her chances, choosing to let her mind wander instead. The distant growl of thunder met her ears. It was familiar, and reminded her of the one thing she couldn't believe she had forgotten since she arrived.

"Where's Spikey?"

Elinee was caught off guard once again. A wave of dread washed over her body. It was something she had not thought about at all – how to break the news of Spikey's death to Eliza, who had always been close to the monstrous tiger. It happened so long ago, and for such a selfish and petty reason too. She wasn't sure which would hit harder: the fact that Spikey was dead, or _why_ he died.

"Auntie? I haven't seen Spikey in years! I've missed him so much. I'm almost ashamed that I forgot to see him since I've been here!"

The blissful, longing voice of Eliza and her fond memories only made it that much worse.

"Eliza... Spikey... he's..." Elinee's voice cracked. She knew the truth would shatter this cheerful girl, but a lie would lead so much more pain down the line. Across the room, the chairs teetered on their front legs, watching the drama unfold. Elinee sighed and gave her answer as quickly and bluntly as possible. "Spikey is dead."

"That's not very funny," Eliza reacted, a miffed scowl tugging at her face.

"No, Eliza... I'm serious. It was about nine years ago when he died. It all happened so quickly, and I wasn't in my right state of mind at the time..."

"You're lying! I would have known if Spikey had died!"

"I was so worried about keeping my powers by sapping the energy out of innocent people. Thanatos wanted the boy, Dyluck, and then they stormed the castle and..."

Eliza rocketed from her seat, slamming her hands onto the table's surface, knocking the chair out from under her in the process. "Who!? Who stormed the castle!? **Who killed Spikey!?**"

"Please, Eliza, calm down..." Elinee pleaded. Eye contact was impossible to maintain. She complied, only because her mind was still reeling from the news to really do anything else.

"As I was saying..." Elinee's throat swelled but she continued on, "They stormed the castle and broke through all of my defenses. Instead of surrendering, I led them into Spikey's lair hoping he'd stop them. I had no idea who they were – who _he_ was."

"...Who?"

"Randi..." Elinee turned her head closed her eyes. That day repeated in her mind for years, though she never dared recount it out loud before now. The memories of her life at that time were flooded with too much pain, too much disregard for the things that truly mattered.

"Who's Randi?" Eliza's voice quivered. Elinee's painful memories spread like an infection, finding another victim after all these years.

"Just a boy and his friends at the time, but even so... he is the Mana Knight."

Eliza's face contorted in horror as she gasped. "You... you sent Spikey to fight the _MANA KNIGHT_?" Her eyes misted; she pointed accusingly at the blurry figure before her. "You sent Spikey to his executioner," she whispered harshly.

It stung Elinee to her core to have the truth driven into her for the first time, by her niece no less. She had always known it; acknowledged it, to an extent. But it sounded and felt completely different to have someone else speak it. It hurt even more. She had loved the overgrown tiger herself. He was her own pet, after all. She physically flinched from the emotional arrow that punctured her.

"I was ignorant, desperate, and overconfident..." Her excuses fell on deaf ears. Eliza had fled the table, her face hidden behind the rim of the floppy hat atop her head, the boots strapped to her feet leading her out of the dining room only by memory.

The chairs had scattered in a desperate attempt to avoid Eliza, some even colliding into walls. She ignored them as she passed by and out of the room. They turned to Elinee in response, and slowly approached the old woman. Their wordless support seemed to help somewhat subside the anguish she felt.

The first day had kicked off with a glorious start.

* * *

Eliza cried that night.

Face buried in her pillow, she had toppled across the lumpy bed in an awkward heap. This bedroom had been the one she called her own when he visited regularly so many years ago. There was nothing particularly special about it beyond her memories, with just a bed, desk, clock, and an ample collection of dust and cobwebs. Her bag and cloak had been discarded onto one of the few normal chairs in the castle. She could only briefly wonder why her aunt never bothered to animate a broom or duster in times past to do some cleaning once in a while.

Elinee's words reverberated in her head as she replayed the scene in the dining room over and over again. The gap where her broken heart used to be widened a bit more with each replay. Occasionally, a childhood memory of Spikey weaseled its way through the corners of her mind. Looming over her was that massive beast, striped all over with spikes running down his spine. She bawled like a baby, hugging Elinee's legs tight. It wasn't until Spikey softly nudged his head under her arm, forcing her palm right above his face, that she understood the nature of the beast. They were inseparable from then on.

Eliza rubbed her eyes. "Why am I crying?" she whispered to herself.

She chuckled at her young innocence and naivety. It pulled her into the present. Spikey had died years ago, and for such a senseless reason too, but she could now understand the circumstances that led to his tragic slaying.

Contact with Elinee had been forbidden during her aunt's darker days. The oppressive atmosphere, shady alliances and malevolent creatures allowed to take residence in and around the castle had all been worrisome tales she heard secondhand. Spikey was undoubtedly affected by the rapidly changing environment. Eliza could completely empathize with the Mana Knight and his friends coming across Spikey for the first time. Locked in a small arena with a bloodthirsty version of that massive beast, he had no choice... there was a prophecy to fulfill and a world in need of saving.

"Spikey, you big, fluffy fool," Eliza murmured with a soft, sad chuckle. "You should have stayed in your lair..."

On the other side of her door, Elinee listened with the faint hint of a smile on her wrinkled face. With the tiger in the room dealt with, Eliza's stay could only improve from here. She could admit that the girl brought a level of spontaneity and energy that she was looking forward to. For just a moment, the weather outside had coincided with the mood of the castle. The remnants of the last summer storm began to dissolve, a soft rumble in the distance.


	2. CH 2: Autumn's New Experiences

**Chapter 2: Autumn's New Experiences**

The following day proved largely uneventful. Eliza spent most of the time locked in her room. Though progress was made in coping with the loss of Spikey, complete forgiveness did not come quickly toward her aunt. Elinee didn't really blame her; if Eliza emerged at any point within the next month, it was a much better reality than the nightmare scenarios she had imagined after the initial slaying of Spikey.

It was early the next morning when the unexpected came to pass. Elinee had taken a stroll through the castle and to Eliza's room to deliver the good news – she had decided to take Eliza as her apprentice. There was a mixture of guilt and pride in her decision. She wanted to cheer the girl up too, of course.

"Eliza...?" Elinee called through the open door. She stepped in to find a dim ray of light shining through the window and onto an empty bed. That dingy sunbeam was the most one could hope for in the Haunted Forest.

Elinee let out a sigh of relief when she saw Eliza's old cloak and bag sitting on a chair. The girl hadn't fled back home, at least.

Wandering through the castle in search of her niece, the old woman was assisted in her task by her trusty furniture. They searched through the countless rooms of the castle, until it dawned on Elinee, like a pebble to the back of the head, just where Eliza could be after recent events. Blaming her old age for not realizing it sooner, she took off through the castle as fast as her aged legs could carry her, leaving the chairs to gallop in her wake.

She swept through her personal office and climbed the stairs, circling a desk with several open books strewn about she intended to finish but never got around to. Pushing open the double doors, she stepped outside into an arena-like corridor, where the oppressive canopy of the forest strangled most sunlight into slithers.

Three chairs skidded to a halt behind Elinee and peered around her at the girl kneeling in the center of the arena. It was the place Spikey had been known to dwell, and the same place where he was slain.

Elinee spoke softly, "Eliza?"

Eliza was rigid. "I was just remembering some good times."

"Eliza, I've decided... I'll teach you magic. You can be my apprentice, if that is what you wish."

The girl's head whipped around, beaming smile the brightest thing in the castle. "Really!? Why?"

"You were right about magic being our heritage," Elinee's aged voice murmured. "It's duty and tradition in this family to pass knowledge to the next generation. If Mana is truly returning, we should take advantage of such good fortune."

Eliza stood and brushed her clothes, feeling a pang of anxiety. "So when can we start?"

"Today, if you'd like."

* * *

"Well, where should we begin?"

Elinee brought Eliza to an unremarkable room, the only furnishing a table next to the single window. Sitting atop it was an old dusty clock that hadn't worked in years. This room was similar to countless others in the castle that were unused for decades – possibly longer. Eliza could only wonder about their original purpose.

The trio of chairs stood by the wall. An audience would normally annoy the young witch, but she was too ecstatic at the moment to care.

"I want to see for myself if what you said about Mana is true before we begin," Elinee said. "What exactly did you do?"

"I was trying to create a globe of lightning...I did it sometimes at home when I was a kid. You know, before the Desecration happened."

"Ah," Elinee said knowingly. "Sylphid's domain. Well, go on," she encouraged her niece with a fanning motion of her hands.

Eliza held out her palm and concentrated on the task at hand. She wasn't trying a spell, but rather attempting to harness raw mana and shape it to her liking through will and attunement. More than a minute passed with no change. It was becoming apparent that the chairs were bored when they began idly taping their front legs.

"Look!" Eliza cried triumphantly. The chairs danced in a startled frenzy. "It worked! I told you!"

"My goodness...!" Elinee was in as much shock as Eliza. She peered into the girl's palm as if that tiny spark held the answers to all of life's problems. The spark eventually fizzled and disappeared, to their dismay.

"What you said is true. I don't know how and why, but Mana is returning!" The old woman exclaimed. Her wrinkled face was animated from the revelation; had she been a few years younger she may have broken out into a dance.

A sense of relief swept over Eliza now that her aunt no longer had any reason to doubt her about Mana. But an apprentice's hunger for knowledge was never satiated. "What do you want me to do now? I tried moving things from a distance that same day."

"With wind magic?"

"No," Eliza said, brushing her bang away from her eyes. "It was easier if I didn't tap into that element."

"So it was neutral?" Elinee whispered, mostly to herself. "I've got it!" She quickly shuffled across the room towards the desk, leaving Eliza and the chairs puzzled by her actions and the gap she left between them. "Mimic what you did that day. I want to see for myself."

There was another moment of silence, excruciating mostly to the chairs. Eliza stood motionless, eyes closed. She looked beyond the spirits and concentrated on manipulating raw mana once again. It was a strange sensation as she felt her body linked with mana. A small, single fiber granted her access to what would have been immeasurable power. Though she couldn't see it, she could feel the link. That thin connection that could be severed at any moment. And with a single abrupt motion, she threw her hands forward and pointed outstretched palms towards the target, releasing an invisible force that encompassed her body and barreled forth at her command.

The force, though unseen, could be felt and heard as a thorough _WOOOOSH_ barreling directly for Elinee. She braced herself for impact as quickly as she could, but only felt what the blast could muster after traveling across the entire room. It was still enough power to send the thick shawl draped around her shoulders to flap against her back. The look of mild shock on her said enough, but was nothing in comparison to Eliza's.

"I didn't know I could do that!" She said, staring at her palms in amazement. "It's much stronger than when I tried before!"

"I see..." Elinee murmured, gathering herself together and strolling towards her niece. "Neutral mana is much easier to manipulate, at least for the moment. We may even be able to forge that into a real spell."

"Really!?"

"I don't see why not. We can take advantage of the situation an-" Elinee stopped mid-sentence, garnering an odd glance from Eliza and the living furniture.

"What's wrong?"

A wry grin grew along her face. "I have an idea," Elinee said before racing out of the room, leaving Eliza and the furniture behind. Eliza turned towards the three chairs with a perplexed expression. One of the chair's seat cushions folded in response, which she guessed was some form of shrugging. After a long moment of silence, Elinee reentered with something grasped in her hand.

Eliza raised a curious brow. "I hope you don't expect me to clean this whole castle by myself," she said, gesturing to the broom at Elinee's side.

"Oh, no!" Elinee said with a chuckle. "You're going to learn how to ride it!"

Eliza mustered up one of the most incredulous glares she possibly could. She could feel her eyes burning into Elinee, but her aunt still held that simple, warm smile. Seeing that the almighty power of glaring wasn't working, she decided to take another approach.

"Only old witches ride brooms."

Elinee frowned. She wasn't sure if that shot was aimed at her or not, but she sure felt it anyway. "If you're going to be my apprentice, then you're going to learn how to ride a broom!"

"But that's so cliché!" Eliza complained. "And is it even safe with Mana in this state?"

Elinee pointed the broomstick towards the chairs. "This broom is enchanted, like those chairs. The disappearance of mana did not dispel the enchantment, so it's still safe to ride. Besides, it takes both the broom and the rider to fly it effectively. As we saw from your little display earlier, you're more than capable enough to manipulate mana with your body."

Eliza sighed. Her aunt had her in a corner and wasn't going to let her out. "Alright," she said definitively, taking the broom from Elinee's grasp. "What do I have to do?"

"It's quite easy. Kick your leg over the side and you should feel the weightlessness of the broom."

Eliza complied and soon found that her aunt wasn't exaggerating. The broom felt lighter than air. In fact, it felt like it was pulling her off of the ground, causing her to push down just to keep her feet on the floor.

"When you feel comfortable with the broom, just stop fighting it."

After about a moment's adjustment, she stopped pushing against the broom. It indeed pulled her into the air, letting her feet dangle just a foot over the floor.

"Don't let the broom fly you," Elinee said, noticing the slight panic appearing on Eliza's face.

Gripping the broomstick tightly, Eliza felt more in control. "So how do I fly this thing?"

"You will it."

"... I what?".

"Will it. You are in control. Remember that."

The apprentice witch smirked. _Fly, broom, fly!_ she thought, leaning forward. And it obeyed.

Elinee needed a moment to process what her eyes had witnessed. Taking off at speeds reckless for inside flight, the broom sent Eliza barreling right out of the open door. All the young witch could see was a blue wall closing in at incomprehensible speeds. She leaned heavily to the right and the broom mimicked her actions, making a 90-degree turn down a hallway.

She was in the library, a long hallway lined on both sides with bookshelves filled to the brim with books nearly centuries old. Eliza felt herself losing control and brushed up against the left side of the hall, jostling several books onto the floor.

Eliza realized she was reaching the end of the library and a mental layout of the castle flashed in her head from memory. Up ahead was another hallway as the path only got narrower, and the only thing of significance there was Elinee's study and Spikey's old lair, neither of which were ideal places to be for a novice broomrider.

Thinking to stop the broom in its tracks, Eliza reared back hard, pulling the broomstick back with her, only for it to loop in the air and fly in the opposite direction. Eliza shrieked when she realized that the ceiling became the floor and that her head hovering awfully close. She latched onto the broom as tightly as she could, finally noticing that her hat had long since parted ways with her.

The broom retraced ground, passing back through the library, but without Eliza's guidance it began to spiral out of control, sending Eliza back into the room from which she originally launched, depositing her onto the old desk. The flailing limbs of her rolling body kicked the clock onto the cold, hard floor. She soon joined it, lying flat on her back next to it.

Elinee quickly shuffled over to her fallen niece, picking up the broken clock and decided it was a lost cause. "This thing did stop working ages ago..."

"That's all you've got to say!?" Eliza hollered in disbelief, still sprawled out along the floor.

"... I could get a new clock if you're feeling guilty. But I think we should wait until tomorrow to continue with the broomriding." Elinee casually strolled away and out of the room, giving Eliza a clear view of her audience. The three chairs were kicking away hysterically, a motion she'd mistaken for agitation any other time had she not known better.

She rolled her eyes.

* * *

Two figures cut through a wall of foliage with unbridled force, their speed tempered by habit and unhindered by strength. The duo was led by extraordinary senses, vital when navigating the shadowy, labyrinthine pathways Haunted Forest. The leader stood out more in the darkness than his unexpected partner.

There was a cry from behind, "Wait up!"

The leader stopped along an open pathway, allowing what little light penetrating the forest ceiling to shine on his figure, revealing him to be a werewolf. The streaks of light worked to brighten his golden fur. A younger, smaller werewolf came to a halt behind him, breathing heavily. His dark blue fur kept him camouflaged outside of the sun's reach.

"You're going too fast!" the blue wolf whined.

The older wolf cocked his head around, delivering a grunt with an annoyed scowl. "I don't remember asking you to come along."

"It was either this or I stay behind and do absolutely nothing... again," the younger wolf huffed at his situation.

"Couldn't you have found someone else to latch onto?" The wolf shook his head. "I don't need help scouting the area. You're going to hold me back." He was on the move again and noticed his unwanted companion attempting to keep up. "I have half a mind to leave you behind," he muttered under his breath.

"You know my pops wouldn't like that, Larso!" A nerve was struck, and they came to a sudden halt near a condensed brush.

"Hey Garr, you know what else your dad wouldn't like?" Larso approached the smaller wolf, using his height as a form of intimidation. "The fact that you're out here. And if anything happens to you, I better not get blamed for it!"

"I don't see the point in scouting this area anyway. We've been through this forest countless times over the years. Nothing happened then and nothing's gonna happen now," Garr said, leaning against a boulder. "Why expect that to change?"

Just as he finished speaking, a gangly vine with a large bulb at its end slithered around the young wolf's leg before squeezing tightly, garnering a startled yelp.

"What the heck is this thing!?" Garr cried out, tugging his leg in futility.

"You fool, get away from it!" Larso snarled.

"Don't you see me trying?" His fear was starting to take over and peaked when he realized that the bulb of the plant was starting to open, revealing it not to be a plant at all. The "bulb" was an eyeball, the stare of its glowing iris bore deep into the wolf, filling him with fear, confusion, and the urge to stop resisting.

There was a blur of movement that ended with a _squish_. Larso landed a swift kick, sending the monster recoiling. It was just enough for Garr to pull himself free with just a bit too much force; he stumbled backwards into Larso, landing atop him in a patch of thorny bushes. Realizing his mistake, Garr attempted to help Larso up but was swatted away.

"We need to get back to the others!" Larso said, managing to subdue his anger. He led the way back just as the monster was recovering, though its stationary nature made pursuit unlikely.

Garr's heart rioted against his chest the whole way back. His mind was plagued with paranoid scenarios involving sudden ambushes from more of those eyeball monsters, this time finishing whatever malicious ritual performed on their trapped prey. It didn't help that Larso was faster than him and apparently running at full speed. Thankfully his golden fur was easy to follow even in the darkness of the forest.

They finally reached a small clearing near the outskirts of the Haunted Forest with a gathering of wolves illuminated near a fire. The cursed nature of the forest meant that darkness reigned at all times of day.

Larso was the first to arrive, and whether he wanted to or not, had come in direct contact with the leader of the pack of wolves. Said leader's dark blue fur was graying with age, and a patch covered his left eye; an old lifelong wound few to none knew the story behind. His body, while aging, was still quite capable, and left something for the younger wolves to aspire to.

"Larso, what do you have to report?" His expression was stern but fair.

Larso opened his maw to recount what happened, but fell silent when he heard the younger wolf finally catch up. Garr resumed complaining now that he was within the safety of the camp.

"I told you before that you're too fast..." He froze in his tracks. "Uhh, hey."

His stony expression unchanging, the leader folded his arms in light of this new revelation. His eye cut from Larso to Garr, and back to Larso again. Neither one would make eye contact or speak, so he took matters into his own hands.

"Larso... why did you take Garr with you?"

"I didn't take him, he followed me!" Larso sputtered defensively. "And he wouldn't go back no matter how many times I told him!"

"Did anything happen on this trip?" He asked solemnly.

"In the woods, there was... a monster. It almost got Garr," Larso told him. "But I saved him," he added, seeing the change in mood.

The wolf turned his sight back to Garr. The boy had already prepared his defense. "Look, Pops, you never let me go anywhere or do anything!"

"And this is exactly why you're not allowed to scout!" He barked in a display of anger. "What if Larso wasn't there to save you!?"

"Graw, it was one of those eye monsters," Larso said, bringing attention to himself once again.

"And there was only one?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Since we know the monster problem is happening here too, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to stay here," Graw said flatly. "I'll discuss it with the rest of the pack later." With a hand gesture, he dismissed Larso from his company. The wolf was relieved to get away, and quickly retreated to the fire where the rest of the wolves sat. He felt bad, but he left Garr alone to suffer the complete and undivided attention of the father he had angered.

Garr, expecting his father to come down on him hard this time, had a change of strategy. He matched Graw's glare with defiance. He was going to win the argument for once.

"You know, if you'd let me do things around here like everybody else, this wouldn't have happened." Garr smirked, sure that putting the blame on his father would do the trick.

"You're not old enough yet."

Garr frowned. "I'm fifteen! The other guys told me stories about how they started scouting when they were eight years old!"

"You're not the other guys."

Garr was frustrated now. He was used to getting into yelling matches with his father as of late, but he wasn't the only one adopting a new strategy. "So when do you think I'll be ready?"

"When you show that you're ready," Graw said.

Garr sighed. "Can you stop giving me one sentence answers?"

"No."

"... Please?"

"Look, Garr. You're not ready. And to prove my point, you went along with Larso when you knew you weren't supposed to. A foolish act like that does not contribute to the welfare of the pack. If you continue to act so recklessly, you might hurt someone else other than Larso next time."

Garr's jaw dropped. "How did you...?"

"I knew he wasn't telling me the full story," Graw continued. "I don't know why he tried to hide it from me. It's a little obvious that something happened considering the thorn needles sticking out of his fur. Most likely related to your clumsiness, I'm sure."

Garr's ears sagged, and his eyes fell to the ground. "I... I'm not that clumsy..."

Graw chuckled and threw an arm around his son. "I know how much you want to participate, Garr. You pester me about it every day. But you need to understand that part of the reason why you aren't very active with the jobs needed to be done around here is because of your current mindset and behavior. Which is why you're punished for the next week."

"What!?"

"You want to participate? You're in charge of watching and carrying all supplies we've acquired from the human settlements."

"But...!"

"I know," Graw said, raising a hand to silence Garr. "Our human policy. I don't like the idea much myself but with the increasing monster reports, I'm not willing to take the chance as leader of this pack."

That wasn't what Garr had on his mind, but he could do nothing but pout; Graw had spoken. Any semblance of further discussion was dropped when he left. Garr was left to stew in his feelings for a few minutes. Not feeling any better, he decided to join some of the other wolves around the fire to cheer himself up. Halfway there, the conversation suddenly grabbed his attention – Larso was recounting the scouting mission.

"...Everything was going smoothly until he started complaining," Larso said, leaning forward on the rotted log.

"Why'd ya even bother bringin' him with ya?" inquired a large, russet-furred werewolf with a cocky smirk on his face. "Feelin' lonely, were ya?"

"I didn't bring him! He followed me!" Larso squealed, feeling like he was answering to Graw again. The wolves all had a haughty laugh at his reaction.

"Well I think it's cute that you were teaching Garr how to scout. He needs someone other than his father to look up to," said the shewolf Raslene.

"Of course you would think that, Raslene," her mate, Jet, countered. His jet-black fur responsible for his namesake.

"Anyways," Larso interjected back into his own discussion, "like I said, things went to hell when he started complaining. It was only a few minutes later when one of those eye monsters had him trapped."

"Eye monster? Those things don't even have limbs!" The brown wolf said, finding it hard to keep his amusement under control.

"Quiet, Musso," Jet whispered, catching the annoyed expression on Larso's face.

"The kid would have been that thing's dinner if I didn't step in," Larso stated with a proud grin, one of the few aspects of the story enjoyed telling.

"Judging by those thorns in your back, it looks like ya both got whipped around by this monster!" Musso blurted before bursting into laughter. He became the focus of disapproving looks.

"Ugh. Musso, you're such a clown," another shewolf said curtly.

Larso grimaced as he pulled a lone thorn from his shoulder. "Garr knocked me into some bushes... and then he sat on me!"

Musso laughed even harder and nearly rolled off of the log. "The clumsiness of 'Lil Graw strikes again!" He sputtered through his laughing fit. "Never fails!"

"Why did you start calling him that anyway?" Jet inquired from his corner. "He's nothing like his father and you know it."

"That's the point. He's like a smaller, less capable and less useful version of Graw," Musso said, a pleased grin still plastered across his muzzle. "If I were pack leader, he wouldn't even be here anymore."

"Thank goodness you're not..." Larso muttered. The others silently agreed.

Garr spent most of the rest of the day in intentional isolation. It wasn't the first time. In fact, he found himself separating from the other wolves more often. He didn't like walking into those kinds of conversations. He could feel the animosity, which would often lead to arguments.

"I'm trapped..." he said to no one in particular. If he sat around doing nothing, all the wolves would hate him. If he tried to take on responsibilities, he'd strike a nerve with his father. To a teenage werewolf, it felt like all the world reacted negatively to his every move. Life was a puzzle that none of his pieces seemed to fit.


	3. CH 3: Friends of Fall

**Chapter 3: Friends of Fall**

Eliza continued to practice with the broom for the rest of the week. She began to realize that she liked flying once she got the hang of it. At least, enough to fly indoors. It was near the end of the week that Elinee suggest that the training be taken a step further: they would practice outside of the castle.

"How high should I go?" Eliza asked casually, masking her excitement. She didn't need Elinee catching wind of how much she enjoyed this new sport, especially after her initial reaction to the suggestion of flying on the broomstick.

"As high as you're comfortable with," Elinee replied, handing the enchanted broom over to Eliza. Behind her were her companion trio of chairs. Their fascination with Eliza's training had originally been one of amusement, but they eventually grew to be genuinely interested in her progression. It was the most activity the castle had seen in years.

Eliza threw a leg over the broom, "Here I go." She slowly rose into the air and circled the castle. Gradually, she began to rise in height as did her confidence, watching her audience shrink in size with every pass. Before she knew it, she was near the top of the castle's crimson spires and realized just how tangible the cursed ceiling of the forest was.

With a new idea and the confidence to back it up, Eliza shot straight up and into the darkness of the forest sky. Weaving through gnarled branches of colossal trees and fog, she exited the forest and was greeted with a fresh blast of early autumn air and the amber twinkle of the setting sun. She hovered there for a few minutes, enveloped by a breathtaking sight like none other she had witnessed before.

"I think I'm really going to like it here."

Eliza spent the last day of the week practicing flying alone. Her facade was long dismantled by Elinee simply from the amount of time she was spending in the air. It was then that Eliza was stricken with the delayed but still brilliant idea of exploring. Her days were split down the middle in activity. Mornings were filled with boredom, leaving her scavenging for a spark of something, anything, to keep her busy, which often resorted to her sifting through the ancient books stockpiled in the libraries. Afternoons were occupied by magic training with Elinee, and now that the broom was out of the way, they'd be moving on to bigger and better things (or so she hoped).

But now that Eliza had gotten the hang of flying, exploring outside of the castle during the day would be a lot quicker and easier now she no longer had to navigate the natural mazes of the Haunted Forest, but instead soar _above_ it. The beginning of the next week marked the start of her quest to thoroughly explore all the Lower Lands had to offer. She wasted no time on the first day, leaving just as the sun was rising. A brilliant sunrise meant little to a forest shrouded in perpetual darkness, but everything to a young witch with a seat in the sky, witnessing the light of dawn cascading over a land ripe for exploring.

Minutes passed before the broom went back into motion. With no destination in mind, Eliza was free to go where she pleased. Guided by nothing but her whims, she touched down at Gaia's Navel. Eliza wandered along the basin, taking in the beauty of the falls. The last time she was here was almost ten years ago, when she hadn't been allowed to explore for herself.

Finding that she was losing track of time, Eliza continued onward with her exploration, letting her feet draw her to the path south of Gaia's Navel. Coming to an intersection, she noticed the palisade forming a gate into a small village and read the signpost.

"Kippo Village, huh?" Feeling adventurous, she ventured inside. "Let's see what we have here..."

It was quite a small village – the smallest one Eliza had ever seen in the Lower Lands. But it felt just right. There were only a few houses and scant few of them were occupied at the moment, for the village bustled with activity. Children played near a gathering of trees on the far end of the village; several boys took turns claiming a large boulder as their kingdom. Men and women tended to a smattering of crops or laundry washed in the small river that glided through the center of town. Waterwheels churned along in the river, each attached to a building along the water.

Eliza followed the path of sparsely laid white cobblestones, passing Kippo's sole inn and restaurant and crossing a small bridge that led over the river. She had only taken a few more steps when a young girl who had broken away from the group of children approached her.

"Hi, miss!" She greeted happily, hiding her arms behind her green dress. She absently swiveled the tip of a foot atop a cobblestone. "I haven't seen you around here before."

Eliza leaned forward with a smile. "Hi little girl, I'm Eliza. This is my first time here."

"Hi, I'm Natalie! I think your dress is pretty," the girl said before hiding her face behind her long brown locks.

"Thanks. I like your dress too," Eliza replied. She began coaxing Natalie out of her shell, "What do you do here?"

"My dad runs a shop! Sometimes I help him out with my older sister." The playful screams of children enjoying themselves echoed through the village, catching her attention. "But I mostly like to play with my friends. Do you want to meet them?"

Before Eliza could answer, Natalie called out to the group of children. Noticing the visitor for the first time themselves, the assortment of young boys and girls scurried over. Eliza soon found herself surrounded by curious, talkative children.

"Where are you from, lady?" One of the boys asked.

"What's the broom for?" Another question was thrown her way.

"Can I try on your hat?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Eliza wailed in confusion, feeling crushed by the surrounding children. She needed something to get their attention all at once.

With a sly grin she said, "Do you wanna see a magic trick?"

That worked.

"But Papa said Mana's gone!" A boy said defiantly.

"That was true until recently," Eliza said, holding out her palm for all to see. She concentrated, both on her connection with Mana and that very moment days ago when she performed a similar feat for her aunt.

There was a slight buzzing sound before a small globe of electricity danced in Eliza's palm, soliciting a chorus of 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the children. This prompted one of the adults to exit a shop to see what was going on. Losing concentration, Eliza let the globe fizzle into a spark before going out completely.

"May I help you, miss?" a middle aged man asked. The little girl, Natalie, ran to him before hugging his legs. The logo printed on his apron matched the one hanging over the shop's door.

"Daddy, she knows magic!" Natalie said excitedly.

"Oh really?" He said curiously.

"I was just checking out the town. I'm new here," Eliza remarked.

"You must have traveled a long way. There aren't any other towns around here besides Pandora," Natalie's father said. "Is that where you're staying?"

"Oh, no. I moved in with my aunt in the Hau-" Eliza stopped mid-sentence.

_This town is quite small and homely... you don't want to go upsetting the people by telling them that you live in an ancient castle in a cursed forest with a formerly evil witch for an aunt,_ she thought to herself.

"She lives a little up north by herself," she finally said. Natalie's father squinted with just a hint of skepticism but dropped it soon enough.

"Well, it seems the children have taken a liking to you. Come to my shop," he invited her with a warm smile. "Perhaps Natalie and I can show you around the entire village later on."

Eventually, Eliza was given the Kippo tour, which didn't take long at all. Meeting all of the people was a strange experience for her. The village was small but tightly knit in all aspects. It was a direct contrast to the large and empty castle in the Haunted Forest. She found herself stricken by the homely village; a change of heart from her original impression. It was a community she had secretly longed for but never experienced firsthand, for it seemed large fortresses tucked away from civilization were a trademark style of living for her family.

"Hey, you'll show us some more magic tricks, right?" Natalie pried, nudging Eliza.

"Sure, as soon as I think of some more to show you guys." She let out a peaceful sigh and looked into the sky. "Wait, what time is it?"

"Looks like it's past noon," replied Russell, Natalie's father.

"Oh, shoot! I better head back. I didn't exactly tell my aunt that I'd be off exploring, so she's probably wondering what happened to me by now!" Eliza grasped the broom firmly and headed for the village gates.

"You'll come back to see us again, won't you Eliza?" Natalie called.

Eliza called back, "Absolutely! Maybe even tomorrow!"

She waited until she was near Gaia's Navel again before hopping onto the broom and shooting into the skies above. She flew over the Haunted Forest, diving into the tangle of trees that covered what they could of Elinee's Castle. This was an ideal path since the branches were much thinner here than at any other part of the forest.

Landing in the castle courtyard, she dashed through the double door entrance. Setting the broom aside, she called out, "Aunt Elinee!"

"Eliza! Where have you been?" The old woman inquired as she rounded foyer's corner.

"I went exploring and made a stop at Kippo Village."

"Judging by that lingering smile, it seems that you enjoyed your visit," Elinee remarked.

Eliza's smile broadened. "Maybe I did."

"Come. It's almost time to start your lessons again." Elinee led the way back into the castle depths.

"Oh!" Eliza piped. "Now that I've learned how to ride the broom, what's next?"

"You seem naturally adept with manipulating neutral Mana. Let's work with that."

* * *

"Garr, you're moving too slow!" Graw barked to the far back of the pack.

Garr suppressed every urge to complain. He hated the job but knew he had to prove himself to everyone, especially his father. Failure to go through with his punishment would not only disappoint them but himself.

With newfound energy, he tightened his grip on the oversized sack on his back and picked up the pace. But it seemed that no matter how fast he moved, the rest of the pack was just a little bit faster.

A devious smirk crept along Musso's face; he slowed down until he was near Garr. "Come on 'Lil Graw, you don't want to get left behind, do you?" he teased.

"Get off my back, Musso," Garr growled.

"All the trouble you're havin' with just that bag, you'd probably collapse if that was me on your back." The russet werewolf had a haughty laugh at his own words before leaving Garr behind with a pleased grin. The younger wolf could only roll his eyes.

Jet stopped and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?" The others mimicked his action.

"A storm's coming. Feels like it's going to be pretty bad too," Graw remarked. "We're going to stop soon. Some of the monsters in this forest get a little too bold for their own good when the weather's bad."

"Finally..." Garr muttered in relief.

* * *

The forest felt extra dark this morning, a detail that barely registered for Eliza. Dark was dark in the Haunted Forest. She was particularly excited about going back to Kippo to see the children and show them more magic.

When she set off into the skies above the castle, she finally realized why it seemed so dark. A mass of gray clouds rolled across the sky, signaling the approach of a storm.

_Didn't the Lower Lands just get hit by a storm a couple of weeks ago?_ Eliza thought. "Oh well, I'll just have to get back from the village before it starts."

By the time Eliza reached Kippo, strong winds already started to pick up. Entering through the wooden gates, she found Kippo to be completely transformed from yesterday. The village was nearly deserted; no children playing, no people working, no one to greet her. The entire atmosphere changed. What happened?

"Eliza! You came back to see us!" She heard the familiar voice of Natalie call out. The young girl peered through an open window in her father's shop, which doubled as their home.

"Natalie, what's going on? Where's everybody?"

Russell appeared behind his daughter. "I'm sorry you came all this way Miss Eliza. Looks like a storm's comin' and everyone's preparing for the worst."

Eliza raised a brow. "Is it really going to be that bad?"

"You never know around here," Russel said, raising his voice to compete with the wind and the flapping shutters on the window. "Nearly a decade ago we had a storm so bad it nearly flooded Gaia's Navel out. Could happen again."

"Wow, I never knew that," Eliza replied, shifting the broomstick from one arm to the other. "I guess I'll just go back home then."

"It's probably best if you stay here before the rain starts," Russel insisted.

"Yeah! Stay with us Eliza! Pleeeaaase?" Natalie added, clasping her hands together.

It was hard, but Eliza still had to turn them down. "Thanks but sorry guys. I don't want to leave my aunt all alone in this mess if it's as bad as you think it'll be."

"Aww!" Natalie pouted and puffed her cheeks. Russel patted her shoulder.

The distant rumble of thunder was the rain's cue to start. And it _poured_. Eliza shrieked from the sudden cold of the raindrops that slammed against her. She latched onto the hat atop her head tightly with one arm as she took off out of the village with a wave to Natalie and Russell, any words she could have said drowned out by the downpour.

She barely waited to get out of the village before hopping onto her broom. It was when a gust of wind crashed against her that she realized that Elinee didn't exactly teach her how to fly in extreme weather conditions. But there was no better training than real world experience, and she was going to get a lot of it today.

* * *

Garr let the bag slide to the ground and collapsed next to it. The pack finally stopped in a small clearing somewhere deep in the Haunted Forest, though his father was always on alert. Graw approached a few of the wolves and spoke with them until he finally made his way over to his son.

"Not bad, Garr," he said before a pensive expression etched along his face. "Do you want to help the others keep a lookout?"

Garr's ears perked up as he quickly looked his father directly into that one, overbearing eye of his. "What!?"

"But if you're not up for it..."

Garr leaped up from his spot. "Wait, NO! I mean, YES! If you're serious, that is."

Graw chuckled. "I'm completely serious." Lightning flashed above and Graw's expression changed in that instant.

Silhouettes.

Countless silhouettes.

"AMBUSH!" he roared over the quake of thunder. The attack began with a single arrow striking the earth between father and son. The hooded, rodent-like creatures known as Chobins revealed themselves and prepared a barrage of arrows just as the wolves retaliated.

* * *

The learning went terribly.

Eliza cried out as the broom was whipped back and forth by the wind. The rain obscured her vision and she could only steer with one hand as the other was occupied with keeping the hat atop her head. A flash of lightning startled her, and she made the sudden decision to fly down into the Haunted Forest where the thick trees would provide her with some relief. Unfortunately, her plan did not include being sent plummeting through the heavy branches by the force of the storm.

She rotated through the air before flipping onto the ground. The broom landed next to her, damaged but unbroken. She thought she heard a commotion deep within the forest – perhaps even a fight. She attempted to listen until a flash of lightning prompted her to jump to her feet and the explosion of thunder made any further eavesdropping impossible.

"That's it. I'm just going to go back to the castle..." she murmured.

Along the walk, she heard the commotion again, and began to get the sinking feeling that she was walking right into the fray. Or maybe it was catching up with her instead?

Lost in thought, Eliza was oblivious to the small creature watching her until she heard its malevolent snicker. She quickly turned to find a Chobin with its bow already drawn, the smirk under its hood making its intent loud and clear.

"WATCH OUT!"

Eliza was tackled to the ground just as an arrow whizzed towards her. She was shocked to find that she was completely unharmed, but more shocked by her savior: a young werewolf with cobalt fur. Though he had saved her, the deed was not without its price. He was trying to attend to the arrow embedded in his right leg as best he could.

The Chobin wasted no time taking advantage of the situation, preparing another arrow and aiming towards the wolf. Eliza reacted instantly, throwing her palm forward, summoning a translucent shockwave that burst forth. It slammed into the Chobin, sending it reeling through the trees and into the darkness of the forest. With that problem dispatched, she quickly scrambled over to the heavily breathing wolf.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Do I look okay!?" he snapped.

Eliza barely resisted rolling her eyes. "We need to get you help. All right?"

"I don't need any help, especially from a _human girl!_"

This time she couldn't help herself. "Well, you saved me and I didn't have a problem with it. So why don't you let me help you?"

"_I said I don't need your help!_" The wolf shouted in defiance. And as to prove his point, he clasped the arrow and tore it from his flesh, garnering an agonizing howl that sent chills through Eliza. He was in so much pain that he barely registered that she had taken the pink ribbon from her hat and began tying it around the wound.

"What...?"

"Do you want to die?" Eliza asked sternly. The wolf didn't respond. "I live in the castle with my aunt. It's not that far from here."

"But I have to help my father and the other wolves! I need to fight!"

She finished wrapping the wound. "Do you know where they are?"

"No... but I still need to find them... and... and..." he trailed off.

"Then we're going to the castle," she said, helping the wolf up.

"No!" he protested, fighting against Eliza's grip. "I can't let them down!"

"Even if you did find them, you can't fight like this! You'd be an easy target for those Chobins!" Eliza argued. "So stop being a fool and come back to the castle with me! We can heal you!"

The wolf began to cave, his stubbornness being eaten away more from the pain racking his leg and body than by Eliza's words. He nodded silently, and they began heading in the opposite direction as rain poured off of the tree branches above.

"Garr..."

"Hm?"

"My name. It's Garr McGraw."

* * *

The castle doors were flung open with a magical burst. Garr limped with help from Eliza through the foyer and into a small room connecting it to the rest of the castle. She led him over to a chair but stopped him before he could sit.

"Not this one," she said, "the other one."

Garr was puzzled but limped to the next chair anyway. When the chair he was originally going to sit on came to life and galloped away, he almost jumped out of the seat.

"Don't worry. I'm going to get some supplies and help!" Eliza's boots clicked rapidly as she rushed out of the room and nearly went careening into her aunt.

"Eliza?" Elinee asked, noticing a distinct smell in the air. "What's that smelling like wet dog?"

"Perhaps the wet dog in the next room?" Eliza smirked at Elinee's puzzled face and began to explain. "There was a werewolf that saved me in the forest but he got hurt in the process. I brought him here to help him."

"Eliza!"

"What?" Eliza whined. "Auntie, he saved me!"

"You know some of those wolves are dangerous. Are you sure he's safe? Some of them aren't particularly fond of humans."

"He's pretty stubborn but I don't think he hates us. And besides, if he did hate me, he's going to love me after I heal him up!" Eliza sang as she shuffled down the hallway. She stopped in her tracks. "Oh... where's the candy? Actually, we may need chocolate too!"

* * *

"I'm not eating that!" Garr protested. "I don't know what's really in it! That's human food!"

"It's _everybody's_ food. Anyone can eat it!" Eliza clamored. "Good grief, you can buy this stuff at any village!"

"I'm a werewolf. I don't exactly stroll into local villages to do my shopping!"

"You should! This candy has magical properties that heals wounds."

Garr gave Eliza a suspicious look. "So... this is something you brewed up in a cauldron?"

"No, I said it came from a shop. And I don't brew things in cauldrons, though my aunt may from time to time."

Garr gave Eliza one final glance before unwrapping the candy. He examined the round treat a bit before dropping into onto his tongue. After a few seconds he could already feel the pain in his leg dulling.

"I think this stuff is really working!" he exclaimed, hopping out of the seat. Then he came crashing down.

Eliza ran to his side, "Hey, take it easy! You were hurt pretty bad so it's going to take the candy awhile to work all of its magic. I might have to give you more."

"You could have told me that sooner," Garr muttered. "I still need to help the pack."

"That's not possible in your condition," Elinee said, entering the room. "You can barely stand as it is."

"Garr, this is my aunt Elinee."

Garr gaped. "_You're_ Elinee? _That_ Elinee?"

Elinee chuckled. "I see I still have a reputation even amongst the wolves. And my niece seems to be very concerned about you. You should listen to her." Garr sighed.

"Hey, I promise I'll help you find your family when you feel better," Eliza said. "But until then, you can stay here and rest up."

* * *

"So, it can still fly, right?" Eliza asked hopefully.

"Hmm..." Elinee examined the broomstick from every angle. It was splintered and cracked in several places. "It's not broken, but it is damaged. I can fix it, but I'd advise against trying to ride it before then."

"Bah... I'm grounded," Eliza pouted. Noticing the grin on her aunt's face, she quickly changed her tone, "Not that it's such a bad thing. I won't have to deal with treacherous wind again any time soon."

A soft laugh left Elinee as she went to check on the beef stew she had brewing on the stove. "Is your friend hungry? The food is almost done."

"I dunno. I haven't checked on Garr for the past hour. I'll go see now." Eliza hopped out of the chair and was on her way out of the kitchen when she shot a quick glare towards her aunt. "Wait a minute. What do you mean by **my** friend?"

Elinee did nothing but smile as Eliza left the room.

Eliza knocked on the door to one of the bedrooms the new guest holed up in. "Garr, are you hungry?" She gently pushed open the door when there was no response, finding the werewolf sitting on a bed, his eyes gazing through the room's lone window. He turned to her with a forlorn look that rapidly shifted to agitation.

"Didn't you give me enough of that candy already?" Garr said.

"Actually, my aunt's making stew." Eliza leaned forward and whispered, "In a cauldron." She smirked when Garr gave her a panicked look. "Ha! No, it's in a normal pot. But speaking of the candy... are you feeling better?"

"To tell you the truth... yeah." He stared down at the bedsheets. "I've heard about healing food like that candy, but I've never had any until today."

"Geez, do you guys live out in the woods all the time?"

"Actually, we do," Garr shot back, slightly offended. "There's a policy in the pack. We don't use human tools unless in case of extreme emergencies."

"That's dumb."

"No, it's NOT dumb!" Garr exploded, jumping off the bed. "We don't need human supplies! We do just fine by ourselves!"

"Okay, okay," Eliza replied weakly, raising her hands forward to calm Garr down. "Ignoring healing supplies because they're made by humans ISN'T dumb." Hearing it said aloud from that perspective began to lull Garr's temper, though he wouldn't admit it. He slumped back onto the bed.

"Honestly, I can't imagine not using candy for healing. What did you guys use?" Eliza asked.

"We've always held a deep connection with the moon spirit Luna, but we were also attuned to the water spirit Undine. Through her powers we could harness healing magic. But I was just a cub when Mana vanished, so I never learned any spells. I've never seen my father cast a spell, though I'm pretty sure he knows how. But you..."

"Me? What about me?" Eliza asked, puzzled.

"Nevermind," Garr said. He took a deep breath, inhaling the delicious smell of Elinee's cooking. "You know, I think I am pretty hungry."

* * *

Two figures darted through the darkness, their movement undetectable by sound even if the weather had been dryer. They both stopped on a nondescript trail. The sight was contrary, as their heightened senses told an entire story most would not have picked up.

"It's definitely his blood," Graw muttered, kneeling next to the bloody arrow.

A black wolf was next to him, and took a few steps forward before kneeling down himself. "There's no blood trail. He must have patched himself up before leaving. And the storm is trying its best to wash away his scent..." Jet's analysis was followed by rustling and a small voice.

Graw growled, knowing exactly who it belonged too. Leading the way through a patch of bushes, he found a Chobin lying near a tree. There was no doubt in his mind that this creature was responsible for wounding his son.

"Guess it's still alive," Jet mumbled, nudging the Chobin with his foot. It began to stir until it realized two wolves were standing over it. It let out a shrill scream just as Graw brought his foot down with a sickening crunch.

"Graw, where're you going?" Jet called as Graw move briskly in the opposite direction.

"I'm not going to stop until I find my son!"

Jet had only seen Graw this upset and emotional over his family. He had always looked up to him as pack leader and felt that it was his turn to pay him back for all that he had done for the pack in his many years, by bringing him back to his senses as leader.

"Graw..." Jet started, cautiously approaching Graw, who still had his back turned to him. "You raised Garr well. He knows how to take care of himself, and as we can see, that arrow didn't stop him. But you said yourself that staying in this forest was dangerous with the monsters running about. We can't stay in here any longer without the risk of being ambushed again. You're our leader. Lead us out of here." He placed a hand on Graw's shoulder and felt the tension drain.

"You're right," Graw muttered, turning to face Jet. "But I'm not giving up on Garr!"

"You don't have to. We just need to get out of here right now."

The two wolves barreled into the darkness.

* * *

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," Garr apologized as he and Eliza entered the dining room. "I was still upset, being separated from my father and all."

"It's okay," Eliza said casually as she sat at the table, which had literally set itself. "I shouldn't have called your customs and policies dumb. It was a thoughtless comment."

_But, maybe they are just a bit,_ Garr thought while sitting across from Eliza, which he'd never dare admit aloud.

"I hope you're hungry!" Elinee announced as she entered with a pot of soup. She manually poured soup into the bowls, a rare feat she only performed when they had company.

Sitting down, she and Eliza began eating, and Garr quickly realized that he was out of place. He curiously watched them eat with the strange utensils. Finally, he attempted to fit in by scooping at the soup with one of the utensils himself, but found the small quantity of soup he could capture to be unsatisfying. He gave up and let instinct take over. Leaning over the bowl, he began lapping the soup up, gaining the attention of the two women.

"Oh my, it seems Garr found his own way to enjoy dinner!" Elinee said with a warm smile.

'Dinner' wasn't quite what Garr would have called it. The meat was soggy, the vegetables were unappealing, and the spices made his tongue burn. He decided that witches were better off at brewing things in cauldrons than cooking dinner in pots, though he was thankful now that his growling stomach was quelled.

Since he was the first one finished, he leaned back in the chair and quickly found himself bored, and then restless when his mind wandered to the morning's events. His restlessness was starting to become noticeable when the chair began to rock.

Eliza had a knowing look about her face. "Garr, are you thinking about what happened again?"

"How can I not? I still don't know what happened to everybody!"

"There's nothing you can do at the moment," Elinee said sternly. Now that this wolf was in her home, she wasn't going to let him go out and do something stupid. "It's dark, it's raining hard, and there are monsters teeming all over the forest. You'd do better to wait out the storm."

Unfortunately for him, the storm lasted through the rest of the night. Early the next morning, he set off on the search. Eliza, keeping her promise, accompanied him. But they found nothing. Their daily search lasted for days, which rolled into weeks, which extended into the months of autumn. And soon, the lonely Witch's Castle was no longer occupying two for the coming months, but now three.


	4. CH 4: Winter's Secret

_**And finally, the first completely new chapter!**_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Winter's Secret**

Eliza was elated.

For the first time since she could ever remember, there was interesting company in her aunt's castle. She couldn't help the excitement she felt upon learning that Garr would be staying with them until his pack could be located. There were so many new and different things about him. After all, he was around her age, he was werewolf, and perhaps most importantly, he was the only guy in the vicinity.

But as the days rolled on, the wolf continued to recede further into the shell she found him in upon the day that they met. He spent most of his time locked away in his room, and when he happened to come out, all of Eliza's interesting questions were met with one-worded answers or dodged entirely. It seemed that the wolf had no intention of socializing with her. Until they found his family, he would shut himself away... and once they did find them, he would be gone. She did not like either outcome of his situation.

Well... Eliza _was_ elated at one point.

"I don't understand it. I mean, I do understand that he feels out of place but... I thought he would have come around by now!" Eliza complained to her aunt as they walked along an old corridor.

"If you continue to pry he will only slip further away. The poor child must be terrified," Elinee replied.

Eliza pouted in response. "Oh, come on! You make him sound like a little kid! He's only a year or two younger than me, and he saved my life. I just want to get to know him."

"We're quite foreign to him. Not just as humans, but everything we do. This castle, the furniture, and our choice of food... I think you can see how that may be impacting his behavior on top of being separated. He hasn't really learned about us before being thrust into our world, and I have no doubt what he's heard must have been unflattering."

"Hmm...? That just may be the answer!" Eliza thought aloud. She picked up her pace and disappeared around a corner, leaving Elinee to stop and contemplate what just happened.

"Garr?" Eliza knocked softly on the wooden bedroom door that had become Garr's room during his stay. There was no answer, but she knew he was in there.

She turned the knob and let the door creak open at an excruciating pace. The teen wolf was sitting on his bed, legs crossed, eyes closed. He must have been meditating again. She wasn't exactly sure of how to bring up the subject, but she dove into it anyway.

"Garr, you know... about your family... your pack..."

The wolf's ears perked up and he looked brightly into her eyes, "Are we going to look for them now?"

"Well, no. Not at the moment..."

He let out a long sigh and returned to meditating. Eliza quickly moved from the door and sat next to him on the bed. He fidgeted a bit from her sudden closeness but allowed it.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to make you upset," she whispered. "It's just that I realized that as much as you talk about reuniting with your pack, you've never really talked about them personally."

Garr lifted his head just enough to see her face from the corner of his eye. "Why would you want to know about them?"

"Why not? I mean, there's still a lot I don't even know about you. And considering that I'm helping you look for them, I should at least know simple things like: what do they look like? What do they like to do? If I were on another errand run for my aunt and saw some wolves, I honestly wouldn't know if they were your pack or not. And just walking up to them might not be an option if I want to live."

Garr looked Eliza over as if she had "ulterior motive" written all over her body. He narrowed his eyes a bit, "All right, I'll tell you about them. But you've got to tell me about your family too."

"Sure, but we have to get out of this gloomy room first."

Eliza grabbed Garr by the arm and pulled him out of the room. They passed through several corridors that all looked identical to him. He hadn't done any real exploring of the castle, so by the time they arrived at their destination, he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the bedroom.

"What is this place?" he asked. They were near a table, and bookshelves lined the walls around a staircase that went up to a second floor with a desk and several more rows of bookshelves.

"This is my aunt's personal study."

The wolf inspected the chair before carefully sitting down. "Is it okay for us to be here?"

"Of course," Eliza spoke casually, scanning the bookshelves. "She keeps all the books of evil magic locked away!"

"I don't see how this room is any better," Garr murmured as he watched a purple flame flicker atop a candlestick embedded into a wax skull in the center of the wooden table. At least, he hoped it was a wax skull.

"It's not here!" Eliza yelled. She tapped her foot in thought and said, "Wait right here, I'll go find it." She left the room and returned a few minutes later, dropping a hefty green book onto the table. They coughed from exposure to the thick cloud of dust that engulfed the air. Eliza smacked the hard cover of book and the dust cloud grew thicker.

"How old is this book?!" Garr cried through the dust.

"At least as old as my aunt!" Eliza held up her palm and invisible pressure pushed the cloud away. She smiled at her simplistic but efficient solution and began flipping through the pages of the old book. She navigated its contents twice over before she found what she was looking for.

Sliding it in front of Garr, she pointed at a continent on the northeastern corner of the map displayed before him, uttering a simple, "Look!"

Garr inspected the land, though he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be seeing. "What's so special about this place?"

"This is where I come from. It's the Ice Country!"

The wolf's eyes widened a bit and his tail came to life, swishing back and forth. He was clearly intrigued by this piece of news. Garr only knew of the Lower Lands. Tales of lands beyond passed his ears occasionally, mostly from his father, but this was different. Eliza tried to contain her smile; it was the most interested she had seen Garr in any subject besides reuniting with his pack.

"The land that's always covered in ice and snow? Really?" he inquired, never taking his eyes off the page. It was as if he could see the real landmass beyond the illustration.

"Yup," Eliza replied, leaning back in her chair. "It's actually pretty lonely up there. A tribe of walrus people live near the shore, but there are no large human settlements. We have a castle there, but it's just my parents and me. Most of the Ice Country is arctic wilderness. There are wolves in the frozen forests." Garr's ears perked up, and she quickly began to explain, "Not werewolves like you, these are more bestial."

"Oh."

"Heh, I sorta wish they were. You can imagine how boring it is there for someone like me. When my parents shipped me off to my aunt, I didn't protest because I'd at least be near some civilization. I'd have someone else to talk to."

"What about the walrus people? You didn't like talking to them?"

"They're can be a bit eccentric. You'd have to meet them to know what I mean. Can't say I related to them. Really, it just feels like isolation."

"I know how that feels."

"Really? A wolf pack seems like something that would be tightly knit."

Garr turned in his seat so that Eliza was facing his shoulder. He felt embarrassed that he had let that slip, and now she would keep digging until she got a real answer out of him.

"They sort of... leave me out of a lot of stuff. Everyone in the pack has a role except for me..."

Eliza folded her arms. She didn't know how to respond to that, and she was afraid he would refuse to talk if they hit any sore spots. But she didn't forget the enthusiasm he held for reuniting with his family. He obviously loved them, so she wanted to get his mind back on that.

"Since we are talking about your pack, why don't you tell me about them?"

* * *

Raslene let the sunlight bathe her tangerine-colored fur through the hole in the forest canopy. She danced in its radiance, her mood as light as the morning sky, the chill in the air melting away with every passing moment. One twirl too many led her tail to be prickled by a bush; the experience reminded her of the tale of Garr's clumsiness and how Larso met a similar, though more extreme fate.

Her mood rapidly deflated with thoughts of the youth.

"Where could you be..." she whispered, massaging her tail. She spotted her mate walking towards her and her mood lightened once again.

"You seem chipper," Jet murmured, joining the shewolf in the light. Raslene glided into his waiting arms, and her eyes told him a deeper story. "I've seen that conflicted gaze before."

"I'm thinking about him again," Raslene admitted, turning her sight to the light washing over the trees. "What about Graw? Is he still antsy?"

"Yes... I try to keep him focused when he needs it, but missing a pup isn't some obstacle that can be hurdled. The only solution is to find Garr. Our leader won't be acting at one hundred percent efficiency until he gets a real conclusion."

"That really worries me," Raslene said, tightening her grip on Jet. "Graw hasn't been like this since Sylva... well, you know. But what worries me even more are the other wolves. Some of them are upset, and even blame Garr for getting lost in the attack."

"You mean other wolves like Musso?"

The shewolf frowned, "Oh, please. No one cares what Musso thinks."

Jet grinned, "Everyone has a voice."

"Well I, and many others, choose to block out anything that comes from his big fat maw," Raslene declared, rolling her auburn eyes. She didn't hate him, but she was never fond of his personality. "Garr's disappearance affects Graw, which in turn affects the pack and our lifestyles. The other wolves, not just Musso, are... displeased."

"Not a single one of them could do a better job as leader than Graw," Jet growled quickly. The subtle hostility in his voice surprised Raslene, though she understood it. No one respected Graw more than he did, and he would not stand for any kind of mutiny within the pack, no matter how minute.

"I know," she whispered softly, caressing the fur between his shoulder blades. Their hands met and entwined before sliding down to Raslene's belly, where new life had taken hold.

"Are you sure some of this concern for Garr isn't related to this?" Jet asked, a warm smile growing along his muzzle.

"Maybe. I keep thinking about the future and what our cub's place may be in the pack. Seeing Graw like this... thinking about what happened to Sylva... I can't imagine how I would react in either of their situations."

"You know me, I'm a realist," Jet said. "These are strange days; I can't hope to predict the future. That's why you, me, and the pack are going to take this cub and forge all our skills, instincts, and wisdom into it. Our cub will be prepared for this or any other calamity that may befall us."

"I'm glad you're so confident."

"Look at our pack. We're all living proof. I know Garr is alive and okay out there."

"I thought you couldn't predict the future."

"Not a prediction. A feeling. I know you feel it too."

"Actually, I do..."

* * *

"Musso's a jerk. He's always hounding me. You do _not_ want to meet him."

"Musso the Jerk. Has a nice ring to it."

"I'm serious!" Garr whined. "He has this thing about humans that sets him off; it's like a berserk switch. He completely loses it around them. Completely." He shrugged as he continued, "No one really knows what's up with him, but my dad really hates it. It makes Musso a bit of a loose cannon, which he says is dangerous for the welfare of the pack."

"He really is a jerk, isn't he?"

Garr's gaze fell to the floor; he was more engrossed in his feelings than the book before him. He looked up at Eliza with a mixture of guilt and apprehension in his eyes that left her puzzled until he continued his story.

"There was this one time when he attacked a human woman..."

Eliza didn't reply, but the slight shock on her face was enough to justify the discomfort on Garr's. He wondered why he even bothered telling her that much, and she was probably starting to form a negative opinion of his pack. But he had already began telling the story and knew there was no way he could end it there.

"It was a few years ago. He sensed the woman in the woods and went after her without saying a word. I think she may have been there to harvest fruit, or maybe she was simply passing through; either way, she wasn't a threat. Musso attacked her relentlessly... my dad had to intervene and saved the woman's life. Her village could have retaliated. It would have started a war with our pack."

"He sounds dangerous to everybody. Why is he even allowed in your pack?"

"There's a vote on things like that. Musso pulls his own weight, so they gave him another chance. Hasn't been another incident like that one ever since."

Eliza noticed that, despite getting Garr to talk more than he ever had, he was starting to recede back into that shell. She didn't expect a recollection of events like that, and now the opposite of her intentions was coming to fruition. She had to keep him talking.

"Tell me about the other wolves in your pack."

Garr hesitated, but Eliza's smile egged him on. "Well, there's Larso... he's almost like an older brother. Not anymore, really. When we got a little older and he became more active in the pack, he started acting like he didn't really have time for me. And there's Jet; he's like my dad's right-hand man, which is weird because I'm not sure if he really likes me or not. His mate is Raslene; she's always looked out for me. I know that the others don't like that very much."

"What about your parents?"

"My mom left when I was little. My dad is... well, he's my dad."

"Feels like I've known him all my life."

Garr was less than enthused with her sarcasm. "Well, you know... he's a little gruff, but he's not mean. Strict, but not too overbearing. Extremely serious about being pack leader and loves efficiency. Still treats me like a kid! Stuff like that."

"Doesn't sound too far from a normal dad."

"Yeah... he's pretty strong. Everyone looks up to him."

Eliza flipped the book shut and tucked it under her arm before she stood up and gave Garr a knowing look "You're expected to live up to his legacy, aren't you?"

Garr tilted his head a bit. "I have a feeling you know what that's like."

"Definitely. I come from a powerful magical lineage. My aunt is Elinee for crying out loud! It's hard to grow into an amazing witch when Mana isn't even around."

"I thought we wolves had it bad being stripped of Mana. It never occurred to me how it affected people that practiced magic for a living."

Garr followed Eliza as she left the room to return the book. The trio of polter chairs had been spotted peeking their way and galloped down the opposite hall when they realized that they had been caught spying.

Eliza chuckled. "Don't worry about them. They're just curious about you. You'll learn to ignore them just like I have soon enough."

"I heard rumors before I came here that Elinee's furniture was alive," Garr said as they entered a corridor lined with books, "but it's something I never believed for a second. It's so strange, why would she bring them to life?"

"Look at the size of this castle and imagine what it would be like for her if neither of us were here. Ah-ha! Here we go." Eliza carefully slipped the book back into the slot nestled between several other dust-coated books on the shelf. She turned around and leaned against the bookcase as she pondered the lonely life of her aunt. "She doesn't get many visitors, so she needed the company. Especially after Spikey..."

There was a click and the bookshelf gave way, swinging inward. Eliza fell back into the darkness revealed by the hidden door.

"Are you okay?" Garr asked, hoisting Eliza up from the floor with ease. Her face was irradiated from the sudden encounter and nodded.

"A few more feet and I wouldn't be," she said, looking over her shoulder. The hidden room was cylindrical with a staircase that slithered along the wall all the way to the bottom. In the center was a pedestal with a black book, directly under the grimy light of a lone window.

"Maybe we should just pretend we never found this place," Garr suggested hopefully, but Eliza had begun the descent. With a sigh, he followed.

"Are you kidding? Is this place real? All these years and I've never known about this room. I'm going to find out what my aunt is hiding down here."

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, they stood their ground from the book. A faint malaise polluting the air caused Garr's fur to bristle.

"She probably has a good reason to keep it hidden."

"You're not even just a little bit curious?" Eliza could not contain her skepticism, but the look Garr returned spoke volumes. "Oh, all right. You don't have to peek but I'm going to check it out. This could be a part of my heritage!"

She only took a few steps forward when the book sprung to life. A demonic snarl rumbled from the depths of its pages before it lunged for her, but a solid kick from Garr sent it slamming against the side of the staircase.

"Is _everything_ in this castle alive?" the wolf wondered aloud.

Eliza slowly approached the book. She cautiously tapped it with the tip of her toes, but any fight it had left had been extinguished. Now it was just a regular item again, and she hoisted it into her arms.

The corners of the black tome were bound in mahogany leather, and the pages were worn with age in contrast to its immaculate cover. As Eliza flipped through the pages, her eyes widened continuously with each new spell she skimmed across. Her ensuing silence finally did pique Garr's curiosity; he peered over her shoulder and skimmed the pages.

"_Siphoning and storing life force? Locking souls?_ I'm not an expert on magic but this stuff sounds pretty... dark."

"It's not just dark, it's evil," Eliza murmured with a shudder. "This is evil magic." Suddenly the book felt heavier, as if the knowledge of its sins manifested in her palms.

"But why would Elinee have this..."

"Oh, come on Garr! It's only been nine years since her rampage ended! You've been dying to know about all the stuff that happened back then, right? You never asked, but I know it's been on your mind!"

Garr shrank under Eliza's harsh eyes. He knew that she wasn't for him, but it was rare to see her get worked up. And the truth was, she was right. He was curious about the stories he heard about Elinee's darker days, though he'd never question Eliza or Elinee about them. It was hard for him to reconcile the sweet old woman that took him in with the infamous witch that could make the underworld tremble.

Without further prompt, the young witch began to recount the past anyway.

"I know you've heard the stories. My aunt was a great witch and she did a lot of good in the world. She was the one that originally placed seals in the spirits' palaces to keep intruders from trying to steal or abuse the Mana Seeds. But her powers started to rapidly wane with age, and eventually some shady figures made her an offer. Her personality changed as she refused to give up her dependency on magic, and she committed a lot of horrible acts for these people and for the sake of keeping her powers."

Garr sat on the staircase, letting Elinee's history meld in his mind with all the tales he heard of the witch over the years. "It's still hard for me to believe that kindly old woman was the witch everyone in the Lower Lands feared."

"She had an encounter with the Mana Knight. We had to lose Spikey for her to come to her senses." Garr wasn't even remotely as nosy as she was, so she felt relief when he didn't pry for elaboration. Ever since the wolf arrived, she hadn't thought much about the ferocious cat, and didn't want to bring those feelings back so suddenly.

As Garr jumped back to his feet, he lost his balance and leaned into Eliza, knocking the book from her hands.

"Really? You kicked the book with pinpoint accuracy but now you're a klutz?"

"I'm not a klutz! The tile on this floor is slippery!"

"Uh huh," Eliza murmured, retrieving the tome from the floor. It had folded on a page she had yet to read. "A resurrection spell? Why would that be in here?"

"Maybe it's because just the thought of disturbing the dead before it's their time is taboo."

"Are you talking about reincarnation?"

Garr's lax posture suddenly went rigid. "Yes, we wolves believe in it," he said defensively.

"Relax, it's not an uncommon belief." Eliza's gaze burned into the page, but her vision was distant. She heard of spells to bring one back from the brink of death, but full-blown resurrection years, maybe even decades after the fact? It opened so many possibilities, raised so many questions. She was baffled and yet understood the secret power tucked away in the tome weighing down her hands. Her mind was reeling until it suddenly ceased with the stillness and clarity of the undisturbed surface of water.

With an airy voice, she asked, "If you could bring one person back to life, who would it be?"

"You better not even think about using that spell!"

Eliza suddenly shut the book, saying, "It's just a question."

Garr found himself seated on the staircase once more. "No one close to me has ever died."

"Didn't you say your mom was gone?"

"She left. She's not dead." His hard gaze faltered after a moment, and he continued, "But... maybe her father—my grandfather, Argentus. He died before I was born. My mom always talked about him and so did Raslene. He laid a lot of the foundation for how the pack runs now and my dad's done everything to respect his legacy. Never thought it'd be possible to meet him but now... hey, what about you?"

Eliza's eyes widened. "Me? Oh, uh... there's no one in particular. Maybe a historical figure." She turned away from Garr's piercing scrutiny.

"Good," he said. "This book is giving me the creeps. You want my advice? Put it back on the pedestal, then leave and let's pretend we never found it."

The witch obliged, gingerly placing the tome onto its pedestal before they vacated the room. She slid the book shelf serving as false door back into place and adjusted the books as best she could to give the appearance that it was untouched.

"I think I need some air," Garr said.

Eliza nodded along. "Agreed."

Together they left the confines of the castle for the courtyard that served as the entry point of the property. Winter frosts blanketed the land, but the Haunted Forest's insulated nature meant seasonal changes only had minimal effects on the environment. One of those effects was a crispier chill to the air.

Garr leaned against one of the stone archways and it was in that moment that Eliza felt a wave of empathy wash over her. Sometimes he flopped about like a fish out of water, and she knew that feeling well – but there were times when he completely surprised her. She began to wonder if he could surprise himself in the same way.

"We might have taken a strange detour today, but I have fun when you decide to come out of your room," she told him.

"Fun?" Garr repeated in a daze-like monotone. "You considered that fun?"

"It's better than being holed up in your room all day, don't you think? Why do you do that, anyway?"

The wolf looked away. "You know why. I don't belong here."

Eliza darted back into his line of sight. "Don't give me that. I told you about my home and where I come from. You've lived in the Lower Lands all your life; if anyone's out of place, it's me."

"My father says that humans have their domain and we have ours. We belong where we belong."

Eliza sighed. "Belonging is a state of mind. How can your dad say that you don't belong anywhere with humans when he doesn't even know us?"

"You're wrong. He does know. He's lived with humans before."

"How is this not hypocritical?"

Garr shifted his weight, his gaze peering up into the dark canopy in the sky. "This was before the pack... when my dad was a pup, his pack was wiped out by imperial forces. He was the sole survivor and grew up as a lone wolf. One day he met a band of humans and somehow, they convinced him to join them. He lived among human populations for years before he walked away from it all. He doesn't elaborate much on that part of his life, but he did make it clear that humans are treacherous, selfish, and cruel. Our pack isn't the only one that chooses to limit contact."

Eliza hid her face under the brim of her hat before asking, "Is that how you feel about me?" Garr's ears picked up the slightest quiver in her voice.

"No, no, those... aren't my words..."

"It makes sense why you isolate yourself in your room. You couldn't stand being around us."

"That's not fair! You know I don't think those things about you or Elinee!" Eliza turned away; Garr's hands hovered near her shoulders as he wrestled between consoling the witch or giving her space. "Look, I'm sorry. Please don't cry... Larso was right, I am a screwup."

Eliza's shoulders started heaving. What Garr thought was sobbing ramped up into high-pitched laughter – or more of a cackle.

With the deepest of scowls straining his wolfen face, he murmured, "That wasn't funny."

Eliza drew in a long breath once her laughing fit ended. "Sorry, but I had to teach you a lesson. Your dad is only half-right. There are awful people out there, but they come in all shapes and sizes, not just humans. Or, let me put it this way. That Musso guy you told me about – he sounds selfish and cruel. Do you think it's fair for me to say all wolves are like him based on what you told me?"

Garr softened his face but folded his arms. "You may have... a small point..."

"I want you to see the things I've seen since I came back to the Lower Lands. You should be able to make up your own mind that way. Will you at least do that much for me?"

"I'll think about it..."

"Good. That should give me enough time to think about how to present you." She slipped back into the castle before what she said sank in.

"What does that mean? What's wrong with me!?"


	5. CH 5: What the Snow Taught Me

**_Whew! This chapter took a while to finish because it's the longest so far, but I'm satisfied with how it turned out. We've reached the halfway point and I doubt any of the remaining chapters will reach this length._**

* * *

**Chapter 5: What the Snow Taught Me**

A shift occurred within Garr. The discussion with Eliza convinced him to evaluate his behavior ever since arriving at the castle, and he discovered that he didn't like what he was becoming. His activity grew over the course of a week, volunteering for chores, offering wolfen recipes for dinner, and reluctantly agreeing to become a moving target for some of Eliza's spellcasting training. One thing he couldn't shake over the week was Eliza's complete silence on their proposed outing. It didn't bother him too much – he still wasn't sure if he was ready to take that leap.

One morning he emerged from his room to find the castle devoid of any activity. His calls echoed without answer. It was possible that Eliza went on an early morning errand, but Elinee never left the safety of the castle. Wandering the halls allowed his acute hearing to pick up muffled voices. Following them through the mazelike corridors brought him to a room littered with clothes raided from a large wardrobe. At the center were Elinee and Eliza, currently fussing over a wooden mannequin dressed in a deep sky-blue suit.

"What is this?" he asked.

Eliza puffed her cheeks, blowing into the air. "Garr, you ruined it!"

"But I just got here!"

"This was supposed to be a surprise for you," Elinee said, moving away from the dummy. Garr circled around it, studying the outfit. The suit was trimmed in white and gold; running down the front were three pairs of ornate buttons. It was certainly fancy. Fancier than he'd ever seen on any wolf.

Eliza moved to the back and revealed a slot in the seat of the pants. "Look, there's even a hole for your tail!"

The wolf's face was unreadable. "You really want me to wear this?"

"You've been wearing those same rags since you got here!"

"These _rags_ are traditional werewolf attire!"

"Traditional or not, you could invest in a pair of pants."

Garr's face and ears flushed red with heat, suddenly feeling exposed. He angled away from Eliza and said, "Maybe you should invest in less _prying eyes._"

"Don't try to make me out to be some kind of pervert. You have to be presentable when we go to Kippo."

"Kippo?"

"The village near Gaia's Navel."

A lump formed in Garr's throat. "You didn't say anything about a village."

"Did you think we were going to meet and greet the rabites out in the plains? Of course we're going to a village! You need to see this part of the world you've been missing with your own eyes."

"I don't know... we normally avoid the villages..."

"It hardly seems fair to me that your dad got to live among humans, but you can't even visit one small village."

"And you can ask around about your pack," Elinee added. "Someone has to have seen something, I'm sure."

"Hmmm..." Garr gave the suit another once-over. "And you think this will help?"

"It definitely won't hurt," Eliza said. "Besides, you'll be absolutely dapper in this."

"What if I don't want to be dapper? Whatever that means..."

Gently, Elinee placed her hands on the wolf's head and brushed his hair back. "It means you'll be the most handsome wolf in the Lower Lands – maybe in all of Illusia." She was met with a sheepish grin.

"Okay. Maybe I can be dapper this one time," Garr murmured.

Elinee released a slow, satisfied chuckle before she whirled him around and pushed him out the room with a strength he didn't know she had in her old bones. Garr stumbled out into the hallway with a yip and found the two women barring further access to the room.

"We'll have this finished by tonight," Eliza said. "We'll leave tomorrow morning. Just remember to get up early for the big day."

Garr felt like he should have more say, but the door shut before he could protest. He would just have to trust that they knew what they were doing.

Early the next morning, before the sun had the chance to crawl over the horizon, Garr was jostled awake by Eliza. Dragging himself out of bed, he shambled behind the witch like a recently animated corpse, following her back to the room where his new clothes awaited him. What he was met with were two of the largest brushes he had ever seen, one each wielded by niece and aunt.

"Whatever you're about to do, you better not!" he cried out in vain as the two went into attack mode.

"Occasionally running your hands through your hair doesn't count as a proper brushing," Eliza said, brushing away at his head. "And you've got a lot of fur that needs it."

Elinee tried sweeping her own brush over his tail, which was currently eluding her. "Relax, Garr. I have years of experience brushing Spikey and he was much fussier than you."

"I am _not_ a pet – yeowch!"

"That wouldn't have happened if you brushed more often," Eliza added insult to injury.

The wolf had no choice but to resign himself to his fate. Once the women were satisfied with their work, they suffocated him with a spray that gave his cobalt fur coat a new sheen. They explained the components of the suit before leaving Garr to dress himself. After a few false starts, he managed to solve his puzzling attire.

When the wolf emerged from the room, Eliza squealed at the sight of him. "Project Dapper Garr is a success!" Garr kept his head down while they fawned over him.

He pulled at his jacket. "This feels strange. And stuffy!"

"You'll get used to it," Eliza responded. She sported a wardrobe change of her own with a short coat, gloves, and leggings. Stretching out her hand, her trusty broom zipped through the corridors to meet her grip. With her free hand, she grabbed Garr's arm and pulled him toward the castle entrance.

Elinee followed them outside, peppering them with cautions and warnings. "Don't stay out too late. Avoid any hostile animals you might see out there. If any of the flowers move on their own, do not approach! And Eliza, dear, are you going to be okay in that coat? You should take this along," she held out an old white robe with a purple hood.

Before Eliza could decline, Garr snatched the robe and draped it over himself. She gave him a horrified look. "What are you doing?"

"I'm still not sure if I want to be seen like this," he murmured.

"That's fine, Garr," Elinee said, assuring the young wolf. "Remember, this trip is about you. If you don't feel comfortable with Kippo, you should leave right away. We'll understand." One of the old woman's rare glares suddenly pierced Eliza, silencing her niece into compliance.

The broom hovered above the ground as Eliza took a seat and patted the spot behind her. An icy realization chilled Garr more than any winter wind when he realized they were flying to their destination. Sucking up his feelings, he cautiously took the spot behind Eliza; he complained so much about everything else that he felt he could give Eliza and her aunt a break this time.

"So, what do I have to do?" he asked.

"Just hold on tight," Eliza said. The broom was ascending when she felt the breath squeezed out of her. "Not that tight!"

"Sorry."

Elinee's form shrank beneath them; soon enough, they lifted through the thin part of the forest canopy where the red spires atop the castle pierced into the sky. The nascent light of dawn met them there above the Haunted Forest, as did a wintery breeze. Patches of white speckled the Lower Lands, the gradually melting aftermath of the previous snowfall.

For Garr's sake, Eliza urged the broom along at a casual cruise. "Not long before I met you, my aunt convinced me to take up broomriding," she recalled. "I wasn't thrilled about the idea at first, but now I can't imagine missing out on these views."

"I'm trying not to look down."

"You should. Few people get to see the world from this perspective."

Garr inhaled sharply, pulled the robe's hood down, and took in as much as he could. He was stricken with the contradictory nature of what he was perceiving. The Lower Lands sprawled out below them. It was massive and yet, the land he always called home felt trivial when nestled among the rest of the world. He could see the ocean, forests, and mountains that stretched beyond. He was always _aware_ that those things were there, but not in this capacity. Not from this perspective.

"I understand what you mean now, but this is still freaky. If wolves were meant to fly, the Goddess would've given us wings."

"But she did. That's what I'm here for."

They took in the bird's eye view of Gaia's Navel's majestic waterfalls before touching down nearby.

Garr felt more butterflies fluttering in his stomach now than he did when they were in the air. "Why did we stop here? Is the village close?"

"It is," Eliza said, leading the way, "I just didn't want to swoop in on the broom."

Leaving the falls behind, they hit a fork in the path, with one trail running immediately into the open gates of Kippo.

Eliza stopped in her tracks, giving Garr a warm smile. "Ready when you are!"

Garr flipped the hood over his head and nodded. Together they passed through the wooden palisades and into the homey village. Immediately, the wolf was taken by the quaintness of his surroundings. The buildings were small and not too far apart, with many of them clustered around the river dividing the village in two. Smoke puffed through chimneys, mixing into the chilly air with the playful cries of children. Few people were out at the moment; this early on a winter morning, only the children were excited to brave the weather.

"Eliza!"

A little girl bundled in a red coat peeled off from the corner of the village the children claimed as their snowy playground, barreling into Eliza's legs. A mass of brunette curls fell away, revealing Natalie's beaming face.

"Hi Natalie! How are ya?"

"Better now that you're here!"

"What do you mean?"

The girl pointed her mitten back to the rest of the children. "We wanted to make snowmen but some of the boys wanted to make a fortress and said they needed our snow to do it."

"We'll see about that," Eliza said, taking the little girl's hand. Garr lagged behind, hoping to maintain the general disinterest he received since arriving. Natalie threw a few curious glances in his direction but decided not to pry.

Eliza was suddenly inundated by a swarm of children once they recognized her. "Miss Eliza, show us more magic!" one of them cried out.

"Gladly!" she chirped, soaking up their attention. "What's this I've been hearing about not having enough snow to go around?"

She threw her hands out, gripped the air, then rotated them as if churning an invisible wheel. Light winds kicked up as the snow along the ground began to roll into one concentrated spot. A chorus of wonder exhaled from the children as the wind developed into a petite twister of snow. When the twister died out, a powdery white mound dwarfed all the rest of the snow in the village.

The children cheered and rushed the hill; several reached the top and broke into victory dances. As Eliza watched the fruits of her magical labor, she noticed one of the children hadn't joined in the celebration. The dark-haired boy called Mikey had a reputation as an unbridled force of mischief, and he was currently nowhere to be found. Just as a sinking feeling pulled at the pit of her stomach, Eliza heard Garr yelp.

"Hey!" He swatted Mikey away from his robe. "This kid has even less respect for privacy than you do, Eliza."

Mikey was near-hysterical as he backed away from the robed wolf. "That was a tail! I saw a tail! What is he!?"

Eliza's act of magic was quickly forgotten as all eyes fell on Garr. Tension blanketed the atmosphere as the children started to worry about the stranger's presence.

"Guess the wolf's out of the bag now," Eliza murmured to herself. "There's nothing to worry about. This is my friend Garr and he's here because I told him how great Kippo is."

Natalie peered out from behind Eliza. "Why is he hiding in that robe?"

"He's shy about the way he looks."

"Why?"

The witch released a short, inaudible sigh. "That's something only he can answer."

Garr felt a chill colder than any winter gust but tried to shake it off. This was his moment. He was in control. His hand hovered near the hood. He'd have to make a choice – that's what he was here for, wasn't it?

He removed the robe entirely.

Mikey nearly collapsed while pointing. "It's a wolf!" he exclaimed, his voice dry.

"The wolves hate us!" cried another child.

"That's not true!" Garr said, feeling their panic jumpstarting his own. "I don't hate any of you. Please, believe me."

"It's true," Eliza added. "If he hated humans, he wouldn't be my friend. So, treat him like you would treat me, okay? I promise nothing bad will happen."

Natalie gazed at Eliza before taking a few steps forward. She made eye contact with the wolf for a moment, then did an improvised curtsy in the snow. "Hi Garr. Would you... like to play with us?"

"Sure," Garr said with a nod.

Natalie was the first to run back over to the fresh mound of snow Eliza summoned. Garr followed at his own pace, though Eliza jabbed at him. "What's the matter, Garr? Never made a snowman before?"

"I've made a snow _wolf_ or two when I was a pup."

"Prove it."

Watching Natalie, Garr, and Eliza start to build a snowman dissolved the remaining tension among the children, and play resumed. Eliza experienced a newfound twinge of jealousy by how popular Garr grew in such a short span of time. He was pulled back and forth between building snowmen and forts, drawn into impromptu snowball fights, and had even made a game out of his tail evading grabby hands. When one of his clumsy moments in the snow led to an invitation to make snow angels, she could only laugh and join in. This was exactly what she wanted, and she also knew the fascination behind getting to know a friendly wolf.

"Garr, come look!" Natalie was practically pulling him out of the snow toward several crude snowmen. "It's a snow wolf!"

She managed to fasten snow to the face and shape it to protrude like a wolf's muzzle. But something was missing, and the girl had already run off near one of the palisades before Garr could say anything. She returned with a pine branch, brushed snow from the needles, then jabbed it into the snow wolf's back.

Garr nodded in approval at the makeshift tail before saying, "Now that's a snow wolf!" He didn't have long to admire his frosty likeness before a small hand yanked at his tail. Mikey looked up at him not with the mischief and playfulness he had come to know, but fear and concern. Without a word, the boy pointed back toward the houses where several adults clustered together as a show of force.

Standing at the forefront was Natalie's father Russell. "If you value your life, wolf, you'll move away from my daughter," he threatened, brandishing a shovel. "Whatever you've come to take, we don't have it."

Eliza stepped in front of Garr. "This is just a misunderstanding. Garr is my friend and he'd never hurt anyone here."

"That's not entirely true," the wolf growled with balled fists. He'd avoid a fight if he could, but the son of Graw would not be an easy mark. Eliza shushed him.

Russell's jaw was agape. "You brought him here? Why would you endanger us like this?"

"This was such a nice village; I wanted to prove to him that he had nothing to fear here!"

"He doesn't belong here! Wolves have their domain and we have ours – you should know this!" Russell's hands glistened with sweat; the shovel quaked in his shaky grip. Despite appearances, he and the rest of the armed villagers inched forward to close the gap between them.

"His very presence defiles Dyluck's memorial!" one of the villagers bellowed out from the back.

"Let's go before this gets ugly," Garr muttered. Eliza looked at him in disbelief.

"You did nothing wrong. There are no laws that say you can't be here. They have to see that," Eliza pleaded, grabbing at the wolf. She could feel the tension in his arms through the suit's fabric. "They just have to know you like I do."

"The only way I can stay here is if I fight. I can take down some scared villagers with garden tools without a problem; I am my father's son. But the kids, can't you hear them?"

Eliza's heart sank. Underneath the shouting and threats were the whimpers of the children she'd spent so many visits uplifting. How did everything go so wrong so fast?

Voice low and gaze detached as if watching the scene from far away, Garr continued, "They're already terrified. If I fight, they'll see me as the monster their parents are making me out to be. I know how I'd feel if I saw someone attack my dad, even if that person felt justified. Let's just get out of here so they can see who the real monsters are."

With surprising strength, Garr took Eliza by one arm and moved around the outer perimeter of the village. He kept the villagers in his periphery on the way to the entrance gate.

"I knew you were trouble since you first showed," a voice hissed from a window they passed by. Eliza unwittingly made eye contact with Natalie's older sister. The young woman's glare irradiated with a loathing she never imagined that family could harbor. "Mana's been gone for years but you cast spells like it's nothing. Then you bring a wolf here! It's an omen! You're both omens!"

"Ignore her," Garr said. Once they hit the gate a series of sorrowful shrieks pierced the air. Eliza dug her heels into the snow just enough to turn and see Russell, against Natalie's frantic pleas, bash the snow wolf into a slushy pulp.

* * *

Eliza's gaze burrowed into the piping hot surface of the tea, the events from Kippo playing in her mind on a horrific loop. Elinee had sensed it when she saw the two teens return – the lethargic movements, the deathly silence – the results of a distressing, even traumatic encounter. The youth had been syphoned out of them. The old woman bolted to the kitchen and brewed her special Mandala tea. By the time the tea was ready, Garr had already retreated to his room and Eliza stood about at a loss.

Elinee took her niece by the hand and guided her into the kitchen, feeling her anxiety pulsating through like electricity. She sat the girl down and pushed a mug into her hands, where Eliza spent the rest of her time staring at the cerulean leaves in the tea until the words she couldn't say finally began to pour out.

"The clothes didn't matter," she murmured. "They didn't see the clothes. They didn't really see him either. All they saw was a wolf, but even that doesn't explain how they could be so cruel."

Elinee closed her eyes and released a long exhale. "Dear, you had to know there was a possibility this could happen."

"I've visited that village many times since I've come to stay with you. I didn't recognize those people today."

"Fear often emboldens rashness."

"It was more than fear," Eliza said, her voice hardening. "You should have seen the way their faces contorted. They wanted to _hurt_ Garr. He hadn't done anything to them! But... I guess what's bothering more than watching those people transform like that, was watching Garr accept it." She finally took a sip of tea from the mug as her aunt awaited patiently.

"Every time I talk to him about his family, he's always so proud and even a little defensive about his wolfen heritage. But the villagers made him out to be this monstrosity and he didn't really dispute it. He just wanted to leave and not scare the children."

"To me that seems like it was quite the sound decision," Elinee said with a slow nod and the tiniest fraction of a smile.

Eliza's brow furrowed. "How can you say that? Now they actually believe what they were saying about him. We have to prove them wrong!"

"Do we?"

"Of course! They need to know Garr the way we do, then they'd know they have nothing to fear."

"And how would you propose we do that?"

Eliza bit her lip. "I'm not sure. Maybe some sort of meeting... a safety zone, perhaps... with Garr there to show them who he really is."

"Out of the question. I don't know why those people had such volatile reactions. Maybe there was a past incident with wolves, or perhaps this is strictly generations of prejudice and propaganda running its course on a small village. But what I do know is that the onus is not on Garr to fix these people, and it's wholly unfair to ask him to put himself in a vulnerable position where he could be physically and emotionally assaulted. Change comes from within, not without. We've done enough damage to him already."

Eliza's face sank into her hands. "Ugh! Auntie, you're right. It was my idea to take him to Kippo in the first place."

"I'm not blameless. I let the two of you go in an appeal to optimism."

"The worst part about this is that Christmas is right around the corner. I wanted to take Garr to Pandora, get him involved in the holiday and do a little shopping. Now he won't ever want to step foot near a human settlement again."

"That's not entirely true," Garr said as he entered the kitchen. Eliza nearly choked on her tea.

"Are you really okay? I thought you went to your room..."

"To sulk? I was meditating; we do that sometimes. It helps bring calm and balance after stressful events. You should try it sometime." The wolf bore a wry grin. "I can teach you."

"Please do, dear," Elinee insisted.

Eliza scowled, but if he was ribbing her he must have been feeling okay. "So, you want to go to Pandora even after what happened in Kippo?"

Garr plopped down into a seat at the kitchen table. "You know I had my doubts about going there in the first place. I wasn't surprised when the people acted that way – I expected it, actually – but the kids, they're the ones that surprised me. They accepted me without a second thought. I could have done with less tail-pulling, but besides that, they saw no difference when looking at me. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised, though."

Eliza watched Garr lean back as a veil of tranquility washed over his face and was reminded of his concern for the mental and emotional well-being of the Kippo kids when all hell broke loose. "Do you have experience with children?"

Elinee fetched another mug of tea and practically shoved it into the wolf's hands. He dipped his muzzle low and sampled enough of the beverage to satisfy her.

Once Elinee stopped hovering, he continued. "I was in a weird place in the pack, age-wise. After Larso, there was a gap, then I was born, then there was a smaller gap where a bunch of pups followed. I told you how Larso was like an older brother most of the time, but then he started to pull away... so for the pups, I became the older brother I was losing." Garr blew an indignant gust through his nostrils. "Funny. That's the one thing they let me do in the pack."

"Sounds like a frightfully important job, dear," Elinee said. "I'm sure all the children in your pack miss you."

"Yeah..."

Eliza reached out and squeezed one of Garr's hands. "We never got the opportunity in Kippo, but we can definitely ask around Pandora about your pack. That's if you're absolutely sure you want to go."

"I do."

"Pandora is a larger community; a lot more people pass through there regularly. I can't make any guarantees about how the people will react, but I'm hoping the extra exposure means they're much more open-minded."

"Don't worry. I'll protect you if it comes to that," Garr replied. "Again."

Elinee's hands clasped down onto both of their shoulders with a firm but tender grip. "You two aren't going anywhere anytime soon. You've been through enough today. You just sit back and decompress while I worry about tonight's meal."

"That's fine," Eliza said. "That gives us enough time to prepare. We'll visit Pandora by the end of the week."

The wolf strained a smile.

* * *

Garr raised his voice to compete with the whipping winds. "I want to make sure I'm understanding this... a fat, red human rides a reindeer across the world and gives everybody presents the night before the holiday?"

"You're oversimplifying it a bit, but that's the gist of it!" Eliza steered the broom toward a towering gleam in the distance.

Below them a fresh sea of ivory swept across the Lower Lands. Navigating became more difficult for Eliza once she found most of the land unrecognizable; she relied on Pandora's castle to guide her to the city. The castle's pearly walls glistened even under the mute winter sun.

For the first time, Garr felt a sense of excitement at the thought of another human settlement after taking in such spectacle.

"No offense to your aunt but I like this castle's look much more."

"It does have a less suffocating atmosphere," Eliza admitted.

She finally lowered the broom in the frosted plains outside of Pandora. Fields of green once known for tall grasses that danced with the breeze were swept over by snow that nearly reached their knees. Snow crunched beneath their feet as they continued the hike to town on foot. Garr was wearing the suit once again, though he was feeling the irony of his fancy shoes being much less ideal for the current climate than the boots from his original wolf garb. Accompanying the fresh snowfall was a bitter cold that prompted Eliza to take Elinee's robe this time for added protection.

"We're going to buy presents ourselves, but you still expect me to believe this story about this Claus person?" Garr suddenly returned to the earlier conversation.

Eliza nearly threw her arms up in defeat. "Look, I didn't invent the holiday! I know it sounds weird but that's how it's always been. Normally I wouldn't have even bothered telling you that part, but one time back in the Ice Country, I thought I saw someone that looked a lot like Santa near a cottage way out in the middle of the wilderness, so... I'm not ready to write the story off completely."

"Okay, let's assume he is real. Why haven't I or anyone in my pack gotten any presents?"

"Maybe you guys should invest in a portable chimney."

The stony gaze of the guards posted at Pandora's entrance brushed across the duo once or twice as they passed through the gate, but otherwise they were unbothered. Garr stopped in his snow-laden tracks to absorb the view from the eastern gate. The town was arranged loosely in a grid-like fashion; man-made streams, their surfaces choked with ice, emerged from a larger body of water in the western side, breaking apart, merging together and slinking throughout, dividing some sections into artificial islands. Kippo was simple and minute in comparison.

"I could actually get lost here," the wolf murmured with a tinge of excitement.

"Try not to," Eliza said.

With the generous amount of money afforded by Eliza's heritage, they found the hardest part of the Christmas shopping to be tracking down which stores they wanted to visit. Once they began shopping, a game developed between the two to keep one from discovering what the other bought. It all came to a head at the clothing store where Garr found himself at the center of the clerk's infatuation.

Her eyes lit up once Garr stepped inside; Eliza was practically invisible. "Look what we have here! What can I do for you today?"

"I'm just looking. I think I'll know whatever it is once I see it," Garr said.

"I believe you. We don't get many wolves around here, especially wolves dressed like you."

The woman placed her chin in her hands, her eyes following the wolf's every move. Garr felt like he was under a magnifying glass and let out a nervous chuckle. "Speaking of wolves, have you seen a pack anywhere outside of town?"

"Can't say that I have, but I'll keep my eye out if they look anything like you."

Eliza snorted. "Okay, Garr. I'll be over here continuing my non-existence."

Browsing the store was challenge with the feeling of being watched, but Garr's eyes eventually flickered when they took in the distinct color of the fabric before him.

"This. This is it."

The clerk made her way over to see what he was holding. "This is pretty simple, but memorable."

"It holds a lot of meaning."

She gently lifted the cloth out of his hands. "I'll hold on to this until you're finished looking."

"Thanks."

Once Garr was done, he was surprised to find Eliza already waiting for him outside. A wave of clouds had rolled across the sky, bringing a light snow with it.

"I was beginning to think I would have to rescue you from her clutches," Eliza jabbed.

"Jealousy is unbecoming of you, Eliza."

"Okay, but after that you can't accuse me of having prying eyes."

"Her eyes aren't what worried me."

They followed the cobblestone walkway, destination unplanned, when Garr began, "It's all strangely wonderful. Outside of that clerk and her, uh... intense attention, no one else has really bothered me."

"It's like they don't even see you."

"It's great, isn't it?"

Pandora wasn't exactly a bastion of diversity when it came to the tribes and races of the world, but he did spot a few non-humans among the crowds, including a few Chobins that shed the image of the forest rogues. Judging by the litany of colors and clothing among the humans, quite a few of them were visiting from abroad. The anxiety and guilt he felt for simply existing in Kippo was nowhere to be found here.

"I know you're enjoying the relative anonymity, but we may have to shift tactics soon," Eliza said, feeling the weight of the shopping spree on her arms. "I feel like we've done enough shopping today. Christmas is still a few days away so if there's something else you're still looking for, we can come back later. For now, I think we should start asking around about your pack. I know just where to start!"

Eliza picked up the pace with Garr following closely behind until they reach the inn. She reasoned that it was a nexus of activity for people coming and going in town. They asked patrons about wolf pack sightings, putting emphasis on the similarity of Garr's cobalt fur with his father's, but found no leads. The next stop was the pub in hopes that the locals would be of more help, besides a somewhat chilly reception, there wasn't much of a difference.

"I'm sorry, I thought someone would have seen something," Eliza said.

"It was silly to think it would be this easy," Garr admitted with a sigh.

As they started to leave town, his ears twitched from a peculiarity he hadn't fully registered. Even as they passed through the gate, the sound persisted; he felt a jolt of adrenaline once he realized what was happening.

"We're being followed – and judging by the force of their steps, they're angry."

Eliza whipped around to confirm what he said. Barreling out of the gate were five men, some armed with blunt objects. She recognized several of them from the pub; judging by the lack of Winter-appropriate gear, they must have followed them in a hurry. What surprised her was a member of the town guard, still dressed in his uniform and light armor, acting as the fifth man.

Garr stood his ground. Despite already being on the outskirts of town, he was starting to grow annoyed at being steadily chased away from every settlement. "Whatever you're planning is pointless. We've already left the town. This conflict is unnecessary."

"We've got no quarrel with you, wolf," one of the men spat, brandishing a wooden post. "Step aside!"

Garr blinked. "Then what's this about?"

"I know a witch when I see one, 'specially one that carries the stink of Elinee!"

Eliza was stunned. All she could muster was an, "Excuse me?"

"Don't get pretty with me! You got the audacity to show up here of all places, wearing **that** robe. You knew what you were doing, and we'll never forget!"

Garr looked to Eliza, but she was just as confused as he was. "We don't know what you're talking about. We just came for a simple visit."

The guardsman took over. "So, you need a history lesson, wolf? You want to know the legend of Dyluck?" His speech was clearer and calmer than his comrades, yet his tongue was sharp, and words brimmed with revulsion. "Even from a young age, Dyluck was an immaculate soldier. He quickly rose into one of the best and brightest commanders Pandora's ever seen. When the town fell under dark magic, he took a small band of soldiers into the Haunted Forest to put a stop to it!"

"But Elinee never attacked Pandora!" Eliza retorted.

"It doesn't matter! The witch sealed his fate! It's never sat right with many of us that Dyluck lost his life but Elinee gets to sit in her castle like nothing ever happened!"

The inebriated man with the wooden post stumbled forward a few steps, pointing his makeshift weapon between Eliza and Garr. "He wasn't the only one to suffer. Some of us were part of his troop. You know what it feels like to be trapped in your own body? Havin' every complex thought whisked away by magic? It's like bein' one of the living dead. We saw her take him and could do nothing. But that robe – it's carved in my mind whether I like it or not. The last thing I saw before the fog..."

Reverberating through the air was the sound of steel freed from its scabbard as the guard drew his sword. "But the Goddess smiles on us today! One of the witch's minions dares to show her face here? It's been almost ten years, but justice has finally been delivered right into our laps."

Something mischievous crept along Eliza's face; Garr had seen it before, usually when she was about to pull a prank on him. "I don't want to run away," she murmured. "We've done nothing wrong. Sometimes we have to stay, fight, and teach them a hard lesson."

Garr felt the wolf's fighting spirit spark inside him for the first time in ages. "Don't worry, I'm with you. These forlorn drunks are making their town look bad. I kind of like it here, I don't want them thinking they can keep us out." He set their shopping bags aside near a snow mound just as he felt a magical whirlwind encapsulate Eliza.

"I was starting to get tired of children's parlor tricks. Let me show you what's I've learned from the witch you hate so much!" Eliza spun into a circular dance; a bouquet of flames erupted across the snow, enshrouding her. The men cried out from the display of sorcery, but quickly overcame their surprise to canvas the flames in search of an opening.

"Hey!" Garr called out. "She's not your only opponent!" Two of the men peeled away to challenge him.

Garr spotted the glint of a blade when one of the men made a quick motion near his pocket. The man charged, but Garr was quicker, catching the man's arm before twisting it and knocking the knife away, where it vanished beneath the snow. His second attacker tried to take advantage of the distraction with a lunge, but the wolf used the first man like a human blockade, slamming them together. With a leap and a kick to the back, Garr sent both men crashing into the snow.

Eliza released an antagonistic cackle behind the protection of the Fire Bouquet spell. After failing to find a hole in her defenses, her three opponents resorted to shoveling snow onto the flames. Her cackles immediately ceased when she realized part of the wall was extinguished.

"Oof, I should have thought that one out more..."

Eliza's broom zipped in, lifting her into the air and out of reach of the guardsman's blade just as he took a swing. From the safety of the sky, she began casting another spell. Several glittering gemstones erupted from the earth, whizzing through the air at her command. She began the assault by striking the weapons, shattering the wooden post to splinters and sending the guardsman's sword spiraling away. Once they were thoroughly disarmed, she pelted them with the blunt sides of the gems until they cowered in the snow.

"You seem like you're having way too much fun," Garr noted while wrestling one of his opponents into a headlock.

"Hey, this could end at any time as soon as they quit and apologize," Eliza said. "Do you guys finally yield?"

With the end of the raining gemstones, one of the men struggled to his feet, coughing up a cynical laugh. "We'll destroy you... then we'll go and burn the witch's castle down with her inside!"

Something moved across the snow so fast that Garr was startled when it swept the feet out from under the drunk man, sending him tumbling back into the snow. Standing over him was a blonde woman with pointed ears wearing a green coat. Her sapphire eyes blazed with a ferocity that reduced the Pandoran offenders into stammering messes.

"L-lady Primm! What... what are you doing here?" One of them managed to utter.

"I was on my way back from Kippo after hearing frantic stories about how Dyluck's memorial had been 'defiled'... only to find out that a well-dressed wolf came and went without incident." She made eye contact with the wolf from her periphery, causing him to tense enough to let his opponent flop into the snow. "Imagine my surprise to see the hysteria spreading out here."

"Lady Primm, the witch... her minions... we won't let the people responsible for what happened to Dyluck just roam around the kingdom without facing justice! You of all people should understand!"

"Stop invoking his name!" Primm shouted. Everyone flinched from the boom of her voice. "Dyluck would be ashamed to see the men of Pandora behaving like this. What happened to him was a complex tragedy with a lot of people involved. These two here must have been children when it happened. What justice are you fulfilling by attacking them? How does this honor him?"

A silence as thick as the snow blanketed the area. The shame was written all over the men's faces. Finally, Primm sighed, allowing some of the intensity to slip away as she said, "Now go on, get out of here!"

Once the men had scrambled their way back to town, Eliza touched back down. "Thanks for that."

"So... you don't fear us?" Garr asked. Primm threw him a look that almost made him regret asking.

"Of course not. Typically, I'm a good judge of character, and you two seem like a couple of kids being used as scapegoats by people too flawed to do some introspection."

"That's a very blunt way of putting it, but I don't disagree."

"Just remember, those men have no authority over who comes and goes from Pandora. You're still welcome in the kingdom, and if anyone says otherwise, tell them to come see me."

Primm waved farewell as she returned to Pandora. Garr went to retrieve the shopping bags only to find some of the gifts strewn about.

"Oh no," Eliza whispered in horror. "One of the bags must've been struck by a gem missile."

They scooped most of the presents back into the bags. Garr held onto one, its shiny gift-wrap ripped and damage. "This one had such nice packaging too," he lamented, lost in the sheen of the foil; at least the gift hadn't been damaged. "Um... I know it's not Christmas yet, but since this is already half-opened, did you want to accept it as an early gift?"

He got his answer when Eliza yanked the gift out of his hands and ripped open what was left out of paper. Within was a pink cloth that filled her with nostalgia as she unfurled it.

"It's to replace the ribbon that was ruined... when we first met..." Garr was glad she was too fixated on the gift to see his ears flush a deep red. It was only a few months ago when they first met. He was so rude and combative with Eliza, he couldn't believe he ever thought ill of her or Elinee.

Eliza wrapped the cloth around her neck like a scarf and posed. "Thanks Garr. This is so thoughtful. Who knew you were this sentimental?"

"Ah, shaddap."

Eliza fetched a gift of her own from one of the bags. "It wouldn't be right if I was the only one to open an early present." She shoved the gift into Garr's arms and waited impatiently as he unwrapped it, revealing garb close to the traditional wolfen style but similar in color to what he was wearing.

"Adjustments can be made, but I know how much your heritage means to you, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes."

"This is... wow. Thanks." He was mesmerized by the clothing. "I really wasn't expecting this."

"Look at it this way, you can even mix and match with what you're wearing now. That's one way to solve the pants problem."

"That's only a problem for people with prying eyes!"

The broom hovered nearby, allowing them to board. Garr was turned into a makeshift pack mule since Eliza had to steer.

"We're not doing this 'prying eyes' thing again," she said. "Auntie is going to feel left out now that we've opened early gifts, so think of what you want to give her when we get back."

"Heh, all right. Let's make Claus jealous."

* * *

_**Sometimes I forget that Santa Claus canonically exists in the Manaverse. 90's Square was a weird and wonderful thing.**_


	6. CH 6: Nostalgia of Spring

**Chapter 6: Nostalgia of Spring**

"Garr."

"Mmm... mfrm."

Garr turned over in his bed, slightly annoyed that his peaceful sleep was chipped away little by little with every call of his name. Whatever Eliza wanted, it was most likely trivial. It wouldn't be the first time she disturbed his sleep over nothing.

He hoped that turning his back to her sent the message.

"Wakey wakey Garrie."

His ears flickered. He hadn't heard that nickname in ages, and the voice was too masculine to be Eliza's. Sitting up, he slowly turned toward the sound of the voice to find the toothy grin of a golden wolf leaning through his window.

"Larso!"

"Hey lil' bro, you won't believe how long it took us to find you!"

"'Us?'"

"Yeah! C'mon, everyone's waiting for you in the forest."

Garr's eyes darted between Larso and the bedroom door. "But I have to tell Eliza and Elinee before I go..."

"You belong with us. They'll understand."

Garr let out a cross between a whine and groan. Larso rolled his eyes.

"Suit yourself," he said before retreating from the window.

"Hey, wait!" Garr scrambled out of bed and soared through the window. He spotted the bundle of golden fur fleeing the castle premises and gave chase. Following Larso took him around and behind the castle to regions of the Haunted Forest he'd never explored before despite a faint sense of deja vu. Soon the walls of dark briars, gnarled branches, and red haze gave way to sweet scents, warm sunlight and grass so green it could be sickly.

Larso suddenly stopped in his tracks, allowing Garr to catch up. "Losing your edge?"

Garr ignored him. "So, what have things been like since I've been gone?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Larso's cryptic comment soon gained meaning when a host of wolves emerged from behind the trees, including Jet, Raslene, and even Musso.

Garr recognized each and every one of them. It was his family, his pack. Had they been here all along? This part of the forest was foreign to him, could he have been so close to them without realizing it?

He could barely hide the stupid grin on his face. "I can't believe it... you're all here!"

The wolves began to part as another passed through their ranks. Aging cobalt fur and the intensity radiating from a lone eye were enough to freeze Garr in place.

"What's wrong? Forget what your dad looks like?"

Garr lunged and knocked the wind out of his father. "I never stopped looking!"

"I knew you'd survive out there," Graw said, embracing his son with a soft chuckle.

Musso, as obnoxious as ever, slapped Garr across the back. "Well look who came crawlin' back!"

Raslene pushed Musso aside and kissed Garr's forehead. "That's just this meathead's way of saying we all missed you."

Jet ruffled his hair like a child. "You are your father's son, after all."

Graw raised his arm and made a spinning motion with his finger. "Get ready to move out. The pack is whole again, so let's get out of here."

Garr glanced back in the direction of the castle with a pang of guilt. "Where are we going?"

"Wherever we end up," Graw responded. He motioned for Musso, who went behind of the trees and returned with a cartoonishly large sack of supplies. Musso dumped the sack onto Garr, and the smaller wolf felt his knees buckle under its weight.

"What's this for!?" Garr complained.

Graw gave him a hard look before saying, "You were gone for months. You thought that little stunt of yours would go unpunished?"

"It wasn't on purpose! Besides, I've seen and learned a lot since I was away. I have more to offer than being a pack mule!" A familiar sense of disappointment and anxiety washed over him as he anticipated the answer. In fact, the overwhelming sense of familiarity was eerie.

"And you'll be able to prove that once you've shown that you're ready."

It dawned on Garr like the oversaturated sunlight from above. He'd been here before, many times in fact, without ever leaving the premises of the castle. The chromatic flora, reminiscent behaviors, and the perfect family reunion in the forest that didn't exist.

He dropped the sack, letting its contents spill across the ground. "No..."

The pack watched in stunned silence.

Graw's stony gaze fell upon him. "Garr, what are you doing?"

"This is a dream. This is _my_ dream. I won't be trapped in this cycle."

Musso swayed back and forth with raucous laughter. "Trapped? If ya learned your place ya'd realize this is exactly where ya belong – at the bottom!"

"Shut up!"

The russet wolf's muzzle contorted with all the ferocity and indignation of the real Musso. "What did you just say to me?" he snarled.

"For once in your life, shut your big mouth!"

What was supposed to be an intimidating roar from Musso was choked into silence. The large wolf rubbed his neck in alarm.

"Now bark!" Garr commanded.

"Roo!" Musso uttered, the sound exploding from his throat with the force of a volcanic eruption. Confused and embarrassed, Musso fled into the depths of the forest, his arms flailing the whole way.

Garr dusted his hands clean in great satisfaction before turning to the rest of his family. "I know you're not the real deal, but I'm going to say this anyway: I'm not the same wolf that got separated all those months ago. I've grown a bit, and I can grow a lot more. I can help make the pack work better than ever, but all you have to do is give me the chance."

Graw wore a pensive look, but his response was interrupted by a sudden torrent of fire, twisting and dancing where the castle once stood.

A creeping dread began to fill Garr. "No, no, no! This is my dream, this can't be happening!"

Beside him, the fallen sack of supplies came to life, its seams bulging from the desperate, violent activity of something trying to claw its way out. A twisted arm shot out of the bag, snapping onto Garr's ankle with the speed and bite of a Great Viper. He hit the ground, his body refusing to obey his commands. Cries for help went unvoiced, and a quick sweep of the forest told him that the pack vanished. Inside the bag, eyes glistened back at him with pure loathing before he was pulled in with superhuman strength and left to drown in a roiling sea of blackness.

Garr awoke, not with a jolt but a blink. His room was cloaked in midnight darkness, the peaceful kind that came with slithers of moonlight, a gentle breeze, and the distant calls of forest beasts. He glanced to the window where the dream Larso woke him. Maybe he was lucky all it had been was a dream, that the machinations that kept him on the bottom rung hadn't found him again. Autonomy was an enticing new flavor since he found his way to the castle. He never had to beg for new responsibilities; in fact, Elinee and Eliza encouraged him to explore outside of his comfort zones.

"It can't be the way it used to be," Garr said to himself. "Not anymore."

The wolf cocooned himself in the bedsheets in hopes of returning to the land of slumber, but Elinee's words lingered in the back of his mind.

"_Change comes from within, not without."_

He heard her say that several times, sometimes without provocation. It'd gotten into his head. Perhaps he was on the bottom rung because he became content in that position. He would have to rise to a level that made his contributions undeniable. But that couldn't happen without his family.

A pit formed in Garr's stomach. He tossed the bedsheets aside and decided to act on his impulse before a childhood worth of discouragement made him think better of it.

Leaning out of his window, Garr serenaded the night sky with a forlorn howl.

* * *

Spring was in full bloom, turning the Pandoran plains into a canvas of color that swayed and danced in the breeze.

Eliza and Garr left Pandora, one of several trips since the winter holiday. They were starting to become semi-recognizable faces around the town. The wolf had an especially jovial gait as they crossed through a field of flowers, and it was starting to annoy Eliza.

"You know, I'm starting to think this entire trip was just so you could see Josephine," she said, the sultry look of the store clerk still on her mind.

Garr gave her a skeptical look. "Weren't you the one complaining about how I needed to get out more? What's the problem?"

"I just think it's weird. You're always distressed whenever I suggest clothes for you, but you have a big stupid grin on your face whenever she picks out something for you!"

"It's her job!"

"You didn't buy anything."

"It's called window shopping, Eliza," Garr retorted with a grunt. "I can't decide if this jealousy thing with you is irritating or hilarious."

Eliza scrunched her face into a scowl but thought better of continuing that discussion, instead pivoting to something hanging on her mind all day.

"I heard you last night. It really surprised me because you've never howled for me before."

Garr came to halt with a look as if something rotten passed under his nose. "Excuse me?"

"What's wrong? That wasn't you howling?"

"No, it was, but... howl _for you_?"

"Alright, what did I say wrong this time?"

"Howling's not a thing a wolf does for you."

"You've known me for months now, stop taking what I say completely literally. All I meant is I've never heard you howl before."

Garr glanced over her with some incredulity. "I was broken out of the habit when I was really young. I was told 'howls carry.' They carry connotations, and they carry on the wind."

"Is that something else your dad taught you?"

"No, it was actually my mom. Howls are like a beacon, they let everyone know your condition and your location. She said howls can attract certain... opportunists."

"I hear a howl and think about running in the opposite direction. I can't imagine what opportunity someone hears in that."

"There are plenty of opportunists out there. Monsters, other wolves and their packs, humans with a grudge..." Garr's voice trailed off as his eyes widened. "Ah, no way! Is this a dream too?"

Eliza scratched under her hat in mild confusion. "A dream? What? Wouldn't that mean that I'm not real? I feel pretty real right now." She pulled at one of Garr's ears. "And so do you!"

Garr moved like lightning, leaving a cloud of petals and grass swirling around Eliza. She only realized what was happening once he crossed through the forest border and weaved through its density.

Nostalgia surged through Garr as he chased the tuft of gold through the forest, hurdling oversized roots and kicking off the sides of trees to keep his speed with every sharp turn and misdirection his target attempted. Larso may have been a faster and better scout than him, but he was always cursed with flamboyant fur. Humans may not have known what they were looking at, but he could rarely fool other wolves.

And just suddenly as the chase began, it ended. Larso turned around and made eye contact over the small thicket that served as a wall between him and Garr. His eyes brightened at the sight of Garr, but faint traces of sadness lingered behind them.

"Larso! What the heck was that? Why were you running from me?"

"I'm glad you're okay," Larso said, his voice heavier than usual. "Jet said you would survive out there but it's still good to see you with my own eyes."

"I missed you and everyone else. Where's the pack? How is everyone?" Garr started to move around the thicket but Larso tensed and crouched, ready to bolt away at a moment's notice. He backed off until Larso relaxed a bit. "Why are you acting like this?"

"First, let me say this... I'm sorry about the way I used to treat you."

Garr was stunned by the sudden admission. Larso hadn't been this open with him in years. Maybe it was a dream after all, though the Larso that occupied his subconscious was never this cagey.

"Let me guess... they're treating you like they used to treat me, huh?"

"It's been a while since I was the runt," Larso said with a light chuckle. "It's not wrong to want a higher position in the pack. I, ah... I should've helped you out more. I thought distancing myself would help me ascend in rank. I shouldn't have let my pride come between us like that."

Garr grunted. "That, and because ditching me didn't really help you."

Larso rubbed the back of his neck, bearing a sheepish smile. "I guess so... sorry, Garr."

Any resentment Garr held for Larso dissolved in that moment. He tried his chances by moving around the thicket, but Larso leapt back.

"Alright, what the heck is going on here? You're acting like you'll turn to stone if you get too close to me. What's the problem here?"

An uncomfortable silence followed as Larso's gaze bore into the ground. When he finally looked up again, his eyes filled Garr with a deep sadness. "You are."

"Huh?"

"I think you're better off where you are," Larso said, his voice starting as a whisper but growing firmer. "You're not one of us anymore."

"Why would you say something like that to me?"

"You've been living with the humans. They've ruined you."

Left flustered, Garr struggled for a retort. "I'm... I'm not ruined! That's ridiculous!"

Larso pointed. "Have you seen yourself lately?"

Garr suddenly became aware of his clothes. He'd taken Eliza's advice and started mixing them, wearing the pants from the suit with the shawl from his Christmas gift wrapped around his shoulders.

"Are you talking about the pants? Dad wears pants too, you know!"

"He doesn't wear _those_ pants. You look like them, you behave like them..." Larso sniffed the air. "You even smell like them."

Feelings of hurt and confusion were quickly overtaken by Garr's anger. "How can you apologize for treating me like crap and then say things like this?"

"I'm not trying to hurt you. It may not sound like it but staying away is in your best interests."

"That's not a decision you can make for me!"

"It is!" Larso shot back in a dominant and authoritative tone reminiscent of Graw. "At some point I stopped treating you like a brother, but that ends today. Sometimes we make hard choices; I'm making this one for you. You'll hate me for this, and that's okay. I think the alternative is worse."

"Enough of this crap! Tell me where the pack is!" Garr didn't expect an answer, so he took measures into his own hands—literally—when he lunged for Larso. The older wolf was still too fast, breaking off in a dash, but not before Garr snatched a handful of fur from his fleeting tail.

The chase was on again. Garr felt his legs burning from trying to keep up with Larso's pace over such a long stretch. Larso made a hard turn to where the forest began to slope, navigating the steep hill with much more ease than Garr. After almost losing his footing and nearly careening into a tree, Garr burst through a wall of foliage at the bottom of the hill, spilling out onto the shoreline. He rolled across the rough sands of the beach and landed in a crouch. A quick survey told him Larso was nowhere in sight.

"Damn you, Larso!" Garr screamed, kicking the sand. He steamed with embarrassment; it had been years since Larso successfully pulled one of his vanishing acts on him. Not since Jet chewed Larso out for abandoning him had he been lured and ditched like this. The gold bastard was probably laughing his way back to the pack. Hearing Eliza call out his name from above did nothing to heal Garr's ego.

"That was another werewolf you were chasing, wasn't it?" she asked once she touched down on the beach. "Was it someone from your pack?"

"It was Larso," Garr mumbled.

"Where is he now?"

"Who knows? Who cares... he lured me away from the pack."

"What? Why would he do that?"

"Because I'm ruined! You ruined me!"

Eliza stared at him for a moment. "How did I ruin you? What does that even mean?"

"Since the day we've met you've done nothing but scoff at my culture and chip away at my identity. You've tried to control the way I've dressed, the way my fur looks, even the way it smells! You fill my head with books written by humans that only tell tales of humans. You parade me into human villages! I'm just some little project for you to mold to your liking, and each time I lose a bit of myself! It's impossible for me to reintegrate into the pack... like this..."

Garr plopped down into the sand, pulled his knees close to his chest, and watched the tide inch ever close. Eliza kept her distance.

"I've never forced you to do anything you didn't want to do," she murmured.

"Oh yeah? So, what were all those things about?"

Eliza grabbed her broom and swept it across the sand, pelting Garr with a wave of granules.

"Your skull is so thick sometimes! How many visitors have you noticed at the castle? I don't have many friends. Not here, not back home. I lived in a place so isolated it's referred to by its climate. Even before my aunt's dark phase, even before Mana disappeared, my family was estranged from the greater magical community. I thought I found friends in Kippo, but you saw how quickly that went south. I don't even like telling people that Elinee is my aunt; I'm not ashamed of her. I'll never be shamed for being her niece! But those men that attacked us in Pandora... that was one of my worst fears come to life.

"For so long it's just been me. All those things you say I forced on you—that was me sharing parts of myself with my friend. If I thought I was ruining you I would've never done that."

The silence that followed was occasionally broken by the rolling of the ocean waves until Garr spoke up.

"So why do you hate Josephine?"

"I don't hate her. I was just scared that if you stuck around her you might want to leave the castle and start living in Pandora."

"I don't want to live in Pandora! What would make you think that?"

Eliza shrugged. "I don't know! I guess I've been a little paranoid over the past few months." Carefully, she took a seat in the sand next to Garr. "When we first met, you didn't have anyone outside of your pack, and I didn't have anyone besides my aunt. I thought that's why we connected. If you leave, things go back to the way they used to be..."

"But you realize that would happen anyway if I rejoin with my pack, right?"

"What do you mean 'if'? We've been searching all this time; don't tell me you're giving up now!"

"It's not about the search. I've had this feeling for a while now that my time away from the pack has changed me in a way that might make it impossible to reintegrate. The things Larso said didn't help."

"From our talks, it sounds like you've been feeling out of place since before the separation. Maybe you're looking at things wrong. Instead of fitting in with them, they should be accommodating you."

Garr let out a cynical grunt. "It's almost cute that you think it works that way."

"Maybe it should work that way!" After a moment, Eliza added, "And maybe I should consider that too. I'm sorry if you felt like I was forcing things onto you and not giving you room to be yourself."

"No, you were right; you didn't force me to do anything. I'm sorry I said those things to you. Larso made me feel like crap so I was just lashing out."

Eliza scowled at that name. "I can't believe he abandoned you like that. He's lucky I wasn't there because things would have ended very differently."

With one arm, Garr gently pulled Eliza to his side in an embrace. "You're a good friend. I wouldn't have blamed you if you walked away when I started yelling at you." With his free hand, he tilted her hat back and let a fistful of sand cascade onto her head.

"What was that for!?" Eliza shrieked, wiping the sand way.

"Well I do blame you for pelting me with sand earlier."

"You got sand in my hair!"

"You got sand in my fur!"

"Oh, it's on!" Eliza declared, jumping to her feet. "You forgot you were messing with a witch!"

Garr hugged himself. "Oooo, I'm scared!"

"You should be!"

"Don't let the scary witch get me!" Garr said as he trotted across the beach at a glacial pace.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about!" Tapping into the powers of Sylphid, Eliza conjured a vortex of sand and sent it after the wolf.

Garr broke into a mad dash. "This is disproportionate retribution!" he cried, his evasive maneuvers failing to throw the vortex off.

"The best kind!" Eliza said with a cackle.

Suddenly the vortex multiplied, and Garr found himself cornered against the tide. He chose his fate and leapt into the water.

"Aaauuuugggh!" the fully soaked wolf groaned as he emerged from the water. "Do you know how long it takes my fur to dry?"

"I may be able to help with that," Eliza said, beginning to conjure another spell. Garr closed the distance before she could finish, squeezing her into a tight hug.

"Oh, you're a big help! You make a nice towel!" he said over her shrill screams.

Watching the antics on the shore from a forested precipice, Larso couldn't help his slight smile. "Stay well, lil' bro."


	7. CH 7: Distant Thunder

**Real life distractions and productivity issues made this chapter take longer than it needed to, but with those out of the way, the last third of the story rolls on.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Distant Thunder**

In the woodlands southeast of the Haunted Forest, Raslene found herself combating a growing feeling of nausea once again. Her sickness left her only mildly aware of the wall of dark clouds usurping the sky. She chose to focus on Jet in the distance, who was in mid-conversation with Larso. There was an oddity surrounding his demeanor; though still exuding his trademark calmness, he was more alert than usual. On the other hand, Larso appeared downright alarmed.

Feeding her curiosity, Raslene made her way over to the two wolves, the wind against her face steadily growing potent and angry with time.

"It's making me sick to my stomach," Larso said. "It's in the air, it's everywhere!"

"What is?" Raslene asked.

"There's a... malaise polluting the air," Jet replied. "The side effects of something dark and malignant descending on the area."

"Everyone's feeling it," Larso said, his breathing heavy. "Aren't you?"

Raslene looked down, caressing her swollen belly. "Guess I can't blame it on you this time," she murmured. "What do you guys think it is?"

Jet looked up to the darkened sky for a moment and said, "I'm not sure I want to know."

Graw arrived with Ramus, one of the older wolves in the pack with fur a deep chestnut in color, clad in slate-colored garb slightly longer than what most of the wolves wore. Unlike Graw, his age was starting to catch up with him. Next to their side was an uncharacteristically quiet Musso.

Graw let the steel of his face soften as he said, "Something ill-willed and incredibly potent is making its way toward the Haunted Forest."

"This reminds me of the Darkening," Ramus said. "It's not the same as when that damn sky fortress was flying around, but it does feel like forces beyond what anyone should be harnessing."

Larso shuddered, unsure if it was brought about by the memories or the poisoned atmosphere. He was a child at the time and mostly unfamiliar with human politics; all he knew was that reignited tensions with the Vandole Empire had escalated into something that put the whole world at risk.

"What are we going to do?" he asked shakily.

Graw placed a reassuring hand on Larso's shoulder, feeling the anxiety trembling beneath his touch. "We stand our ground here, lay low and let whatever the hell this is pass over without drawing attention to ourselves." He peered in the direction of the Haunted Forest as the earth quaked with a thunder-like rumble. "That place has a habit of attracting the things that skulk in the darkness, and I want no part of it."

"I hope it's not a mistake to ignore this," Raslene said.

Jet moved in close and held her. "We're not ignoring it, just avoiding it."

She wasn't entirely convinced. "The Darkening started out as a human conflict but quickly became a threat to everything. I don't know if we can make a mistake like that again."

"I understand your concern," Graw said. "While I can't confirm that this is human-related, most plagues wrought on our world are. And when we get involved in their conflicts, the wrong people pay the price..."

Raslene closed her eyes, sighed, and nodded. With the rapidly approaching birth of her child and the disappearance of Garr, she spent more and more of her days pondering about the world and the pack's place in it. A feeling of helplessness usually accompanied her thoughts, and when mixed with the rest of her fears and joys as a mother-to-be, turned into a cocktail of anxiety. Jet had assured her that those feelings were natural, but he never did have a good response whenever she brought up the possibility of raising their child under another Darkening-esque calamity.

"Let's hope this is just an isolated incident," she said, appealing to what was left of her optimism.

* * *

Eliza burst through the door to Elinee's study on her broom. Planting her feet on the ground, she skidded to a halt to prevent colliding with a bookshelf. Garr soon followed, tripping over the edge of a carpet and rolling to a stop, splaying out on his back. Three polter chairs arrived to finish witnessing the spectacle.

"That's. Not. Fair," Garr said through panting, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

The witch snorted. "I totally won that race fair and square!"

Garr pointed at her, or at least where he thought she was from his position on the floor. "I ran like the wind! All you had to do was steer the broom... _occasionally_."

"If you felt like the circumstances weren't fair, why agree to a race?"

"A wolf doesn't back down from a challenge. I've never beaten Larso in a race, but I have humiliated Musso, and even surprised Jet a few times."

"Oh boy, the indomitable spirit of a wolf! Quit your complaining."

Garr sat up sharply. "Not until you admit the race was rigged!"

Eliza dropped the broom into Garr's lap with a smug grin. "If you think riding a broom is so easy, why don't you give it a try?"

Staring at the broom as if he'd never seen one before, Garr said, "What? That's ridiculous. I don't ride brooms."

"I didn't ride brooms until I did. Besides, it's not like you haven't ridden one before."

"I was a _passenger_. That's different and you know it."

Suddenly lost in thought, Eliza began pacing the room. "What if I can make the broom safe and easy for you to practice flying?"

"Hrrrmmmmm..."

* * *

"How do I keep letting you talk me into doing these things?"

Garr clung to the hovering broomstick as if his life depended on it. Eliza held on to a rope tied around the end of the broom to rein it in whenever it began to float too far. The numerous corridors of the castle were chosen as a perfect practice course for hovering and simple maneuvers.

Eliza never let the grin on her face falter. She drank in every moment with amusement. "I think the real question you should be asking yourself is why do you keep pretending that you don't like trying new things."

"This is embarrassing," Garr whined.

"How? It's just us."

"And them," he said, motioning toward the audience of polter chairs at the other end of the hallway.

"Oh, nobody cares what some dumb chairs think." A few wooden legs clopped in protest, which Eliza ignored.

"Why did Elinee even make those things?"

"She's lived alone in this dingy place for years. I guess she needed companionship and animated the chairs before her powers waned."

"I wish she had picked something a little more sensible. Do you know how many times I've been thrown to the floor because I sat on the 'wrong' chair?" Garr noticed Eliza gradually start to spin until she was upside down. "Uhh... what are you doing?" he asked.

Eliza pointed to her feet. Garr realized that the floor became the ceiling and his head was hovering inches from it.

"Gah!"

Eliza pulled at the rope until the wolf was right side up again. "You have to keep your center of balance," she said.

Garr held his stomach, his face wavering with unease. "I think I'm getting some kind of motion sickness."

"Must be contagious. I don't feel too good either," Eliza admitted with a grimace.

The halls of the castle quaked under the threat of a growing, sustained rumble from beyond. Furniture rattled, books tumbled, and the chairs scattered in the mayhem.

"That doesn't sound like normal thunder," Garr said.

Eliza rubbed the goosebumps forming along her arms. "I'm not sure that's thunder at all."

Feelings of sickness were lost in an overwhelming sense of darkness threatening to engulf the castle and them along with it. An unholy, unearthly presence, starved of life, loomed outside the castle grounds. It was an acute awareness Eliza only experienced when harnessing the power of Mana. This darkness was far different from the dark spirit Shade's domain, instead carrying a thick, swampy weight to it. And from the look Garr was giving her, she knew he could feel it too.

Eliza dropped the rope and began making her way through the corridors and toward the entrance. "We have to be ready when it comes here," she said, never losing her pace.

Garr abandoned the broom and chased after her. "Are you crazy? You want to _confront_ this thing?"

"This is our home, our sanctuary. Don't you want to protect it?"

"Yes, but... we don't even know what we're up against!"

"Neither does it."

They waited near the foyer as the presence changed shape and form. No longer threatening to swallow them up in its ever-encroaching aura, the darkness tempered itself into a smaller, solid entity that lingered outside of the double doors.

Eliza let charges of Mana roll about her fingers and Garr crouched into a fighting stance as they were met with the echo of the metal lock snapping. The doors' laborious creaking was drowned out by the roars of the wind beyond its hinges. A dim slither of light crested off the black armor of the figure that strolled inside.

Eliza pointed a charged finger at the figure. "Stop right where you are!"

"Oh, hello," the stranger said, shutting the door, "I see Elinee has guests." His voice was a blend of cordiality and condescension. "Would either of you like to make yourselves useful and fetch her?"

"What business do you have here?" Garr demanded, channeling the authoritative tone of his father.

"Nothing children should be concerned with," the stranger retorted. "Now, are you going to get her, or will I have to demolish this decrepit castle room by room until she shows her face? I know the old bat is still alive."

The fear Eliza felt took a backseat to disgust as her eyes seared into the intruder. "You're nuts if you think I'm going to let someone like you anywhere near her! Consider this your warning!" She clasped her hands together, calling upon her connection to Mana to reach into the blazing depths of Salamando's domain. When she outstretched her palms, she unleashed a trio of fireballs that soared about the room before closing in on their target.

Effortlessly, the stranger caught each fireball in his gauntlet, crushing them in a flash of flames that illuminated a twisted smirk under his violet, untamed hair. "Was that a warning or a parlor trick? I'd expect more capable witchcraft in the company of Elinee."

Garr readied himself for his shot at the stranger but felt Eliza tightly holding his arm. She slowly shook her head when their eyes met.

"If magic doesn't work then maybe we need to take the fight to him!" he explained.

"Don't go near him," Eliza pleaded. "Please... just don't."

Metal shifted as the stranger brandished a sword from beneath his dark cape. The weapon was a foreign union of machinery and smithing, the results producing a mechanical blade. Garr and Eliza had barely taken notice of the dark energy spiraling the sword before they felt an external pressure grip their bodies like a vise and lift them into the air. Suspended and restrained in spheres of darkness, the two had no choice but to watch the man continue his infiltration of the castle.

The familiar pounding of wooden legs against the floor carried across the halls as one of the polter chairs burst into the room and charged straight for the intruder. With just a flicker of energy from the sword, the chair violently exploded into fragments. Garr's heart sank after watching the failed rescue attempt as, for the first time, he felt something other than annoyance with the chairs.

"This is starting to get pathetic."

"That's how I feel about this narcissistic display of power," Elinee said, emerging from the hallway.

The stranger's face curled into a broad, twisted grin. "There you are, Elinise! I was starting to think I would have to slaughter all your minions before you showed your face."

"Ah, Sheex," Elinee said with exaggerated exhaustion. "Like the empire you served, I believed you to have joined the dust."

"I'm more resilient than some anticipated."

"Unfortunate," the old woman replied, slowly shaking her head. "You should have taken this second opportunity at life to live in peace and obscurity."

"I didn't come here for your advice you old crone," Sheex snapped. "Where's the book?"

"There are many books here."

Sheex began circling the room, posturing for his audience. "Feigning ignorance should be beneath you. Or maybe I'm giving you too much credit —the people you were willing to sacrifice, for just a few lowly magical herbs..."

Elinee wore a kindly smile before mimicking Sheex's faux-cordiality. "Who is this power for, my dear? A defenseless old woman? The witchling and the wolf child? Or perhaps an irrational fear of living furniture..."

"You keep playing this game and you'll learn the full extent of my power. Now, where is the Necronomicon?"

"Do you honestly believe I would keep that wicked thing in my presence? When I gave up my magic I started a new chapter in my life, and that included removing all forms of temptation."

Silence blanketed the room, coiling into a snake that strangled the occupants with uncertainty and anxiety. Eliza wanted to scream, if only to tell her aunt to escape to safety while she still could.

Narrowing his eyes, Sheex spoke at last, "Assuming you're telling the truth, I know you don't have the means to destroy the book. And you wouldn't leave it in just anyone's possession. Luckily for you, I won't beat it out of a fossil like you because I still have some morals." His eyes slowly slid across the struggling figures of his prisoners, filling with childlike delight at the sight. "But these two right here look pretty spry. I'm sure they'd be willing to talk after some punishment."

With the twist of his gauntlet, the spheres tightened. Eliza clenched her teeth as even her organs compressed under the magical vise; she could hear gurgling coming from Garr.

"You stop this!" Elinee demanded. "They don't know anything!"

"That would be unfortunate for them!" Sheex sang with macabre delight. "It's been nearly a decade since I've tortured anyone. It's quite nostalgic—some of the best work I did for the empire after espionage."

"You've left me no choice, fiend!" Elinee placed a silver-white coin in the center of her palm before clasping her hands together as tightly as she could. Lumina's magic erupted from the coin, manifesting as a small army of light orbs that stormed Sheex. The orbs ensnared him before giving way to a searing pillar of light.

An inhuman scream filled the air, rattling everyone to their bones. When the light receded, Sheex was still standing but clearly aggravated. He tucked away the sword, silencing the scream and disabling the sphere trap. Eliza and Garr hit the floor just as Sheex turned to leave.

"Your devious nature never left you," he said. "I'd commend you if you weren't wasting my time. I'll discover wherever you've hidden the book, but if I find out you were lying to me, the consequences are going to be much worse than what you experienced today." And with that, he vacated the premises with all the force of the winds raging outside, leaving a trail of bewilderment in his wake.

No longer constricted by magic, Eliza sat up and deeply inhaled before saying, "Can you believe that guy, still talking trash after leaving with his tail between his legs?"

* * *

In the living room, Elinee commandeered a sofa just for Garr. Wrapped in a robe and flanked on all sides by pillows, the wolf was pampered and catered to after the Sheex encounter and relished every moment of it. Elinee handed him a hot mug of tea as Eliza maintained a death glare from the other side of the room.

"I put a round drop of candy in your tea, dear," Elinee said, rubbing his head affectionately. "It should help with any lingering pain."

"Thanks," he murmured in return.

Elinee wiped her brow, feeling a thin layer of sweat forming. "It's a bit warm in here, isn't it? I think I can find a solution. Eliza, take care of Garr for a moment."

"Sure thing," Eliza said, so low that it resembled a growl. Once Elinee was gone, she folded her arms and began to strut across the room, her boots stamping a rhythmic song of mischief as she closed in on her prey.

Garr could feel her presence hovering over him. "Don't you get tired of being jealous?" he preempted her.

"You big baby; you're barely hurt."

"Not true," he said, taking a loud slurp of tea. "Elinee said that your magical prowess made you more resilient to the attack."

"You want some resilience? I'll show you resilience!"

Garr heard Elinee's footsteps returning and cried out before Eliza could reach for him. "Ow ow ow, it's hurting!"

"Eliza!" Elinee scolded as she reentered the living room.

"I didn't even touch him!" Eliza whined but, with a shrewd look and a pointed finger, was sent back to the other side of the room.

Elinee revealed a snow globe depicting two howler pups frolicking in a sculpted, snowy landscape. She shook the globe and placed it on a table in the center of the room. A soft light enveloped the inner layer of the glass just as it released a refreshing chill into the air.

"I've never seen that before," Eliza said, her eyes glowing with newfound interest.

"There are plenty of items around here that I've enchanted over the years to replicate magic, from small conveniences like this snow globe, to entire spells like what was contained in the light coin I used to chase off Sheex. Most of them were reduced to trinkets after the Desecration, but now I can put them back to use with this resurgence of Mana, especially after Garr's ordeal."

Garr gave a complacent sigh under the cool breeze. "Thanks, auntie."

Eliza's brow twitched. "She's not even your aunt! What if I saw your dad and pretended that he was my dad?"

Garr gave her a once-over before returning to his tea. "It's your funeral."

"Enough of your little banter," Elinee interjected, taking a seat. "I brought you two in here to have a serious discussion about Sheex and how he relates to my past. I'm sure you've heard the stories about who I was and what I became, but it's time to tell my truth. I want you to hear it from me."

"You said that man was from the empire?" Eliza asked with a bit of apprehension.

"Yes, Sheex was one of Vandole's trusted generals, or at least he had been until Thanatos appeared," she said, her gaze sinking into and beyond the snow globe to times long past. "I met them both during my worst moments... but I'm getting ahead of myself. In my younger days, I focused my talents on protecting the weak and maintaining the balance of Mana and the elements. One of my greatest accomplishments was placing seals on the Seeds of Mana so that their power couldn't be released and exploited. But as I aged, my powers rapidly waned in a way completely abnormal for most witches.

"That's when Thanatos appeared with Vandole's generals in tow. He got into the emperor's good graces by promising power beyond the comprehension of mortals, and in turn was given free rein to make moves in enemy territory. They came with special herbs to temporarily restore my power. There were strings attached, of course..."

"If you knew these people were trouble, why give them the time of day?" Garr asked.

Elinee paused for a moment, mulling over her forthcoming explanation. "Our family's identity is so strongly connected to our magical blood that once I began to lose power, I felt like I was losing my reason to exist. I would do their misdeeds so that I could return to a level of magic that would allow me to resume protecting the world from people like them. That's what I told myself, anyway. Now Sheex has returned and I sit here powerless to prevent his malevolent intentions."

Eliza felt torn, rarely seeing her aunt this vulnerable. The old woman was smaller than she'd ever seemed before, continuing to shrink in her seat right before Eliza's eyes. "What he does now and in the future is not your fault," she said, adamant in her feelings.

"But there is fault in my choices," Elinee replied, her voice shaky. "The harm someone chooses to do is something they must be accountable for, but those of us that enable them, intentionally or not, should be able to admit the role we played in it. Eliza, Garr... this isn't just my story, it's a cautionary tale. You see, there was a young man from Pandora with much promise. His name was Dyluck and he carried the hopes and dreams of his people toward the bright future he wanted to build. I delivered him to Thanatos, creating a chain of events that led to his death. There are few days where I don't think about him and what his life would have been like if he never had the misfortune of stepping into this castle."

Eliza and Garr traded looks but remained silent.

"Sometimes we make reckless, selfish choices," Elinee spoke again, her eyes carrying a haunting chill, "and we convince ourselves that only we will be affected by them, or that we can fix the fallout. But there are some things you can never take back, and the consequences can reach further than you'll ever foresee. I want you two to keep that in mind, all right?"

The two of them gave solemn nods.

"So... about that book he kept mentioning," Eliza began.

"Never you mind, dear. That's something that should stay in the past." Elinee stopped for a moment before her eyes narrowed in a skeptic glare. "Why do you ask?"

Garr nearly jumped off the sofa. "It's just, um... what if that man returns? Are we really safe here?"

Elinee's hard gaze lightened up a bit. "Oh Garr, you shouldn't worry too much. What he's really searching for, we don't have to give."

"And what's that?"

"Validation. The life he once lived is gone for good and he's flailing around in a childlike tantrum looking for his purpose. I suspect that if he continues to cause trouble, powers far greater than ours will respond to his actions. And if he does return... I have plenty more coins where that came from."

"We won't even need those coins," Eliza said, wearing a proud grin. "I'll be prepared this time. With Lumina's power at my command, he'll wish he never came back from the dead!" She broke out into a cackle.

"You're still going to get those coins, right?" Garr murmured to Elinee beneath the shrill laughter.

"Of course, dear."

* * *

Under the cover of the night's darkest hour, across the swaying shadows of trees twisted and turned, a lone figure traversed the Witch's Castle without a sound, without a trace, and without a single footstep.

The figure made her first contact with the floor in a corridor of bookshelves. She ran her hand along the shelves to navigate in the darkness, deferring to a mental map to locate her true destination. When she arrived at the suspected bookshelf, she conjured an orb of light in her palm, using it to inspect the books. It was as she ran her fingers along the spines of the books that she heard a voice that caused her heart to rocket against her chest.

"I knew you'd be here."

She whipped around, her orb illuminating Garr's face in a way that made his fangs and eyes glisten. "You were following me?" Eliza asked, still shaken.

"Actually, I was here first. I was just waiting for you."

"Oh really? So why are you here?" She squinted in the low light, noticing the wolf's attire. "And why are you still wearing that robe?"

Garr ran his fingers along the fabric. "I like it... it feels like I'm being snuggled by a layer of rabites. But that's beside the point—after everything Elinee said, I knew you'd do something reckless like this."

"All I'm doing is checking to see if the book is still here." It was hard to read Garr's emotions in the darkness, but she could tell from the ensuing silence that he wasn't fully convinced.

"You think Sheex stole the book? That man seemed a little too pretentious to just snatch it and disappear into the night without making a show of it."

"But can we be sure he didn't take it?"

Garr released a deep sigh. "Things would be so much simpler if we never found that thing. I'd say we should do everyone a favor and destroy it, but Sheex made it sound impossible, and I don't have any ideas besides setting the damn thing ablaze."

"Actually, what he said was that my aunt didn't have the means to destroy it," Eliza corrected, garnering a sour look from the wolf. "My point is, that's true now, but I'm sure she could have at the height of her power. She must have a reason for keeping around. It would be rash to try destroying it now."

"Okay then, what are we going to do?"

Eliza continued her inspection of the bookshelf, finding nothing out of the ordinary. "It looks like nothing's been tampered with. Maybe... maybe we should take my aunt's advice and not worry about this. The important thing is that Sheex doesn't have the book."

"That's fine by me," Garr said, followed by a prolonged yawn. "Wish you had turned up sooner so I could be asleep already..." The wolf's complaints devolved into incoherent muttering as he wandered off. Eliza threw one last inquisitive glance to the secret entrance, her mind flipping through the pages of the Necronomicon emblazoned in her memory, before following Garr. She'd never know what exactly Sheex was seeking within those pages without a another look, but that was a mystery she wasn't prepared to solve anytime soon.


	8. CH 8: Heatwave

**Chapter 8: Heatwave**

As Spring warmth gradually escalated into sweltering Summer heat in the Lower Lands, Eliza's training moved into new territory. Satisfied by her progress with solid manipulation of the primary elements, Elinee began to coach her on expanding her range of magic with more abstract spells. The nondescript room Eliza trained in was transformed into a full training suite with practice targets and dummies. Today the room was rearranged with chests and barrels filled with random miscellaneous items in preparation for the next step.

Garr sat in on the training session, turning a spare table into a makeshift seat. He witnessed Eliza practice the Analyzer spell, magic under Sylphid's domain that located and identified objects beyond mortal sight and revealed inner secrets. It was after a casting of the spell went rogue and focused him under its magical lens that an idea struck him.

"Get it off me!" Garr cried out, fruitlessly swatting at the soft pink light illuminating his body.

"Sorry," Eliza said with a chuckle as the light dissipated. Garr had grown use to her cackling but learned over time that anything less could signal plans for something worse.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, shifting uncomfortably. "What did it tell you about me?"

"Oh, not much... just that you fear Dryad."

"Dryad? The tree spirit?" Garr frowned, his brain trying to make sense of it. "I don't think I've ever been afraid of Dryad. It's never come up."

"It means you're vulnerable to Dryad's magic, dear," said Elinee. "Most wolves are born with a natural affinity for Luna. That exposes you to the opposing element."

"Um, since we're talking about it... I have a question about this spell..." The wolf fidgeted, unsure of his own apprehension. Why was he feeling this way? Maybe because it was such a long shot, he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"What is it?"

"Could it... you know... be modified to locate a specific person?"

Eliza opened her mouth as if to answer, let it hang for a bit, then turned to her aunt and said, "That's a good question."

"That kind of awareness would require a form of farsight, a very rare gift among few individuals," Elinee answered. Garr slumped a bit. "But that doesn't mean it's impossible. It would be much more feasible if you had a personal possession of whoever it is you wanted to locate."

The wolf's ears perked straight up. He reached into a pocket and revealed a tuft of golden fur in his palm.

Eliza leaned in and pointed. "Is that...?"

"I snatched it off Larso the last time I saw him," said Garr, pride in his voice.

"You've just been carrying that around this whole time? Do you sleep with it?"

"Eliza! Remember, it's not our place to criticize wolfen conventions," Elinee scolded to little effect.

"It's not a wolfen convention," Garr said under his breath.

"Oh... well then, that is a bit unconventional, dear."

"I don't sleep with it!" Garr folded his arms, wrapped in his own indignation. "I knew it was stupid to bring this up!"

"Let's not be hasty," Elinee said, her voice lowering in that soothing appeal she often resorted to when coaxing one of the teenagers out of their mood. Gently, she pried his arms apart and took the golden tuft with care. "It's a good idea, and it may just work. This fur is an even more powerful link than a personal possession."

Eliza bounced across the room and nearly pulled Garr off the table in celebration. "This is great! We can finally track down your pack!"

"It's not a surefire plan," Elinee warned. "But it is the best one we've got so far."

* * *

The next few days were dedicated to turning the Analyzer spell into a personal locator using Garr as a guinea pig with a tuft of his own fur, a turn of events that would have annoyed the wolf to no end had they not been working toward the reunion he sought for so long. Very little could undermine his spirits. Months of dreams would become reality, and Larso would be powerless to stop it.

Finally, the day came when Elinee felt the spell was ready to be used in the field. Eliza waited outside of the castle for Garr. He emerged with Elinee just as her patience started to wear thin, sporting the traditional werewolf garb in midnight blue, just as he had the day they met.

"I haven't seen that in a while," said Eliza.

Garr patted his clothes with a hint of a smile. "I want things to be as normal as possible if we find my pack."

Normal. What did normal mean for them? Eliza mulled it over in silence as Garr boarded the broomstick.

"If we do find them, you know everything changes," she finally said. "Everything goes back to the way it used to be."

"That's not entirely true. I didn't know either one of you before. But now I'll never forget you."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't found anything yet."

Elinee let out a quiet sigh before she said, "I'd love to accompany you two but there isn't enough space on the broom."

Eliza blinked at the thought. "Maybe we can find something else?"

"Don't slow down on my account. Just an old woman dreaming of days gone by."

"I'll fill you in on all the juicy details," Eliza said with a wink. The broom kicked off, an arrow piercing through the forest canopy.

Summer flying proved challenging. Wind from the flight provided only so much relief from the unrelenting barrage of sun. An occasional cloud gave sweet refuge that proved fleeting at best.

Using Larso's fur as a catalyst, they swept over the Lower Lands, focusing on dense forests and other spots the pack frequented in the past. After what felt like hours and no reaction from the modified Analyzer spell, a pink beacon of light jutted out of a swath of forest near the base of the Lofty Mountains.

"There it is! It worked!" Eliza nearly lost control of the broom in the excitement.

"Larso must be on the move!" Garr pointed out. The pillar of light cut through the trees with startling speed.

"We should get closer and see if he leads us to your pack."

Eliza lowered them into the forest just as the spell's light dissipated. The density of trees made flying difficult, so they touched down at a running pace. Garr's heart beat against his chest harder than his boots hit the ground; it was impossible for him to say if he was scared or excited about the reunion.

Feeling the adrenaline start to drain, Eliza asked, "Are we going the right way? Should I recast the spell?"

"The light was above the trees so I don't know if Larso saw it the first time, but it could spook him if it's down here," Garr said. "We might never catch up then. Besides... I can smell him."

Further into the forest, Garr's senses picked up something faint but familiar.

Skidding to a stop, he held out his arm to bar Eliza. "Wait!" he barked. "Something's not right." His ears flickered at the approaching sound. Speed and power familiar enough to raise his hackles barreled through the forest unhindered by the terrain—and snatched Eliza up before Garr realized it.

Eliza's bones rattled from the impact. She made unwitting eye contact with the mountainous figure pinning her to the forest floor and was sucked into those wells of wrath.

"You arrogant humans never learn!" spat the massive werewolf. "It doesn't matter where we go, you always violate our territory and get away with it!" Eliza could feel the hot air from his nostrils blow against her face as he leaned in and, with dangerous relish, whispered, "I'm not feelin' lenient today."

"Back off!" It was purely reflexive for Eliza, conjuring that condensed sphere of wind. The air bomb combusted, sending the wolf flying. He landed on his feet, surprising her with the agility hidden behind his large frame.

"A witch, huh?" the wolf said, giving his knuckles an audible crack. "Even more reason to crush ya!"

The wolf charged before Eliza could get back on her feet, but the pain she anticipated never came. Garr slammed into the wolf's side, driving him into a tree. The wolf bounced off, unfazed by the impact; the tree, not so much.

His eyes flashed with recognition as he took in the sight of Garr. "Gone for a few months and you already forgot who and what you are. I thought ya looked familiar, but the smell was way off. It's startin' to make sense now."

It began to dawn on Eliza: the russet fur, the belligerence. "You must be Musso. You really are a bully."

Musso's glare fell onto Eliza before turning back on Garr. "You blabbed about us? To _them_?" he said. "You're just their little puppy now, aren't ya? How long did it take for them to domesticate ya? You perform tricks for treats?"

Garr clenched his fists and growled. "You shut your damn mouth!"

"Why don't you make me, Garr-bage!" Musso said with a snide laugh.

"Just... stay away from her."

"Better worry about yourself!"

Musso descended on him with a wide, arcing punch. Garr ducked low and landed a few blows to his abdomen. He pivoted as Musso reached out to grab him, slamming his leg against the larger wolf's thigh. Beyond the sound of a meaty thump, there was little sign that he was hitting Musso at all. His frustration got the better of him, caught off guard by Musso's sudden twist.

Garr was grounded by a backfist that kept his world spinning long after his body stopped. Moaning from the pain, he tried to get up only to feel a weight on his chest pinning him back down.

"You're spoiled, entitled, and worst of all—weak!" Musso said, grinding the heel of his boot into Garr. "If you weren't his kid, I'd have done this a long time ago."

The ground quaked around them as a sphere-shaped mass of earth dislodged from below. Garr managed to roll out from under Musso before the chunk of earth crashed upon the wolf's head and shoulders. Musso hunched over in the aftermath of the Earth Slide spell, a dazed look upon his face.

He shook his head after a moment, straightened his back, and turned to Eliza with a wry grin. "That's all ya know how to do, girlie? Fling a spell here n' there?"

"I am a witch, you idiot," she said. "What did you expect?"

Musso replied by moving faster than he had any right. Eliza's attempt to flee was futile; he grabbed her neck and pinned her up against a tree.

"I wanna know, can ya still do magic without any limbs?"

Garr let out a guttural war cry as he leapt through the air and sank his knee into Musso's back. He struck with enough force to disrupt the wolf's balance, allowing Eliza to break free.

"I told you to stay away from her!" he said.

Musso whirled around, the expected outrage replaced with amusement. "Look who finally grew a backbone! Too bad it's for all the wrong reasons. Look at you, all stupid and confused. Turnin' on your own kind for what, human trash? You'll never be one of them."

"I don't want to be one of them. I never did."

"Yet, here we are! You forgot your heritage and pride. I wanna see how far you'll go to protect this witch!"

Musso broke into a sprint for Eliza. Garr was on his heels, pushing his legs harder than he ever recalled. He knew he could beat him there. Speed was never the issue with Musso, it was avoiding his enormous strength and anticipating the wolf's penchant for trickery. That bit of intuition prepared Garr when Musso flipped around and reached for him.

"Gotcha!" Musso called out.

Garr twisted just enough to avoid him and deliver an uppercut, or at least what started as an uppercut.

Musso stumbled back in shock. His muzzle burned with the hot sting of exposed flesh. Touching the claw marks raked across his snout, he pulled his red-stained fingers into view, staring as if seeing blood for the first time. The silence drew out for what felt like hours until realization and anger dawned on him in a fang-bearing snarl.

"I was gonna beat some sense into you but we're long past that. I'll crush every bone in your body and twist what's left of you into knots. Every breath you take from now on will be pure agony!"

The two collided and fused into a roiling ball of bestial rage. Garr's world filled with the pain of every kick, punch and the gnashing of teeth, but he returned every attack with just as much ferocity. Years of bullying and the thought of Eliza being dragged into that cycle of misery fueled Garr's own fury, a deep-seated pain he hadn't realized he suppressed all this time.

Eliza watched the battle with a degree of helplessness. Any spell she could muster that was worth its Mana would affect Garr too.

"Garr!" she cried out. "They're going to kill each other at this rate. How do I stop this? What would my aunt do?"

As she racked her brain, the answer passed through her like the whistling of wind, an echo from before.

_It means you're vulnerable to Dryad's magic, dear._

"Time to put you two to sleep," she said. "Dryad, I've never called on you before, but please lend me your power for Sleep Flower."

Eliza condensed Mana into a sphere before her and, calling on the power of the grass, the trees, and the laws of Mana themselves, she burst the sphere in a flash of light. A cloud of pink petals barreled into and engulfed the wolves. When the petals dispersed, the fight had devolved into a lethargic dance of lazy, disconnected blows that eventually gave way to Musso and Garr pushing up against each other.

"Not the fully intended effect, but not bad considering that I've never practiced with the spell," said Eliza, admiring her own work. "Now, can we settle this like civilized individuals?"

She received her answer when Musso managed to slip his hands around Garr's neck to strangle him. Eliza detested the idea of using her magic to seriously hurt anyone, but Musso was giving her few options.

"If you don't let go, I'll be forced to do something drastic!" she said to avail. Her fixation left her oblivious to another presence until she felt a firm grip on her shoulder that gently brushed her to the side.

"Leave them to me," a voice said. Like a cobalt missile, the figure dove between the wolves and drove them apart. Garr slid onto his back but Musso was much more resilient. Despite having the wind taken out of his sails, the russet wolf's eyes burned with a mania that left him unable to focus on much else.

"Get outta my way!" Musso said before charging right into a gut punch he never saw coming. Doubling over, what was left of his fighting spirit fled his body like a ghost when he looked up into the face of his leader.

"Dad!" Garr stumbled across the ground and gave his father an awkward hug.

Graw sported a look of pure serenity as he held his son's head close to his chest. "You enjoy your little vacation?"

Musso, still holding his stomach with one hand, used the other to point toward Eliza. "He brought her here! He brought a witch into our territory!"

"Her name is Eliza," said Garr.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Eliza wasn't sure what to say. She took in the face of an older, bigger and sturdier version of the wolf she came to know. Hearing so much about Graw left her with the feeling of meeting a mythical figure.

_He talks about you so much, it feels like you're my dad too!_ That's what she thought she would say, but Graw's intense gaze left her silent.

"I've seen enough to put this together," Graw said. "The witch helped you find your way back to us and Musso attacked when he became aware of her."

"She's done more than that," Garr said with the trace of a smile.

"You can tell me everything when we're back with the rest of the pack," said Graw before turning to Eliza. "You should follow along. I have a feeling you're a big part of this story."

Graw forced Musso to lead the way. The russet wolf's bruised body and ego moved with all the grace and enthusiasm of a deflated balloon. Garr would have found his miserable march comical if he wasn't wrestling a mixture of elation and anxiety. All he ever wanted was to reunite with his pack, but the same questions nagged his dreams and his waking thoughts: how much had changed over the seasons? Could he fit back in?

They reached a spot in the forest depths that had been arranged as a temporary settlement with what few possessions the pack owned. Garr was swarmed by several wolfen brethren and overwhelmed by the affection and questions.

After several minutes, he was finally able to ask, "What changed while I was gone?"

Jet stepped aside for Raslene. With the brightest smile, she approached Garr, a black-furred cub nestled in each arm. "Garr, meet our daughters."

* * *

Eliza kept her distance as Garr fawned over the twins. There were so many eyes on her. Too many. Some inquisitive, quite a few cynical, but most laced with some level of venom. Musso's feelings weren't all that abnormal here, just his methods.

Soon enough, Garr had been pulled away from the reunion by Graw. He met up with two other wolves; the black wolf Eliza surmised to be Jet, and an older wolf she couldn't place. Garr's body language was lively as he held a discussion with all three. Eliza couldn't hear him but knew it must have been about his time away from the pack, and perhaps more specifically her, as he occasionally glanced in her direction.

Eventually they let Garr go off on his own. He made a beeline for Eliza and was barely in earshot when she asked, "What was that about?"

"I told them everything since I was separated... well not everything, but all the important stuff."

Eliza kept her arms close, hugging herself as an improvised barrier against the sustained scrutiny of the wolf pack. "Can you believe it? You're finally home. I guess I can go now. Mission accomplished."

"Oh," Garr said. "Already? You've hardly met anyone."

"Have you seen the way they've been looking at me? Do you think they want to meet me? I've already been attacked once."

"Speaking of which, they're about to pass judgment on Musso. This should be good." Garr locked his arm around Eliza's and pulled her along. "Let's find a good spot."

A ceremony had been set into place that saw the wolves move in a way that formed a wide circle of space in the center of their settlement. Musso stepped into the center and dropped to one knee.

In the commotion, Garr abandoned his search for the best seats when he spotted Larso sitting on a downed log. He was the only one that hadn't come to see him on his return, and Garr wanted to turn his resentment into satisfaction. He plopped down next to the golden wolf, pulling Eliza down with him.

Garr smirked. "Surprised to see me?"

There was no change on Larso's face as he said, "I was trying to avoid this."

"Doesn't sound like the words of someone that said they were going to start treating me like a brother again."

Larso's eyes were livid and wide as he whipped around to face him. "Garr, you're not paying attention! When they're done with Musso they're going to call you up next!"

"That's ridiculous. For what?"

Graw, Jet, and Ramus took positions spread an equal distance apart, standing before Musso. Ramus held an ornate staff of wood topped with a teardrop-shaped topaz that glistened with the light of Luna. He passed the staff to Graw who then jammed it into the earth, ushering a rolling wave of silence.

"We, the Council of Three, have convened today to pass judgment on Musso," Graw announced.

"You have been charged with enacting reckless violence that endangers the welfare of the pack," said Jet.

"It's disappointing to see you in this position again," Ramus said, shaking his head. "What say you to this charge?"

Musso grunted before flashing a smirk in Eliza's direction. "If you mean repellin' the human, yeah, I did that. They're takin' over and somebody's gotta—"

"You'll be given the chance to say your piece soon enough," Graw said, but the damage had already been done. Discontent bubbled up among the audience in murmurs and hushed voices.

"Why is she here?" one of the spectating wolves cried out. "Why tolerate her presence?"

"That girl is the niece of the witch Elinee," said Jet. "It would be unwise to cross her by harming her family."

"Who's afraid of that shriveled up old woman?" another wolf said.

Jet kept his growl quiet and maintained his composure. "That 'shriveled up old woman' was one of the most powerful witches to exist in the past century. She is not to be trifled with."

"**Was!** Her powers dried up years ago."

"No, he is right," Graw interjected. "Elinee chose the life she lives today. There are means to restore her powers... means that are beyond her moral horizon. However, harming her kin even in the slightest could drive her to those means. I guarantee you that a return to form, even before the witch's cruel years, would bring about devastation for us. So, if any of you value the use of your hands, you will not lay them upon the witchling."

"Now, if we could get back to the trial," Jet said, his gaze sweeping over the audience as if to dare further interruption. "To be part of this pack means that every single member would put their life on the line to protect it. We are all we have. But once again, you've endangered the welfare of the pack with your violent antics. That's a serious offense, Musso. How do you reconcile your actions with your duty to this pack?"

"Now you may say your piece," Graw said.

Musso's massive shoulders bounced in raucous laughter. "This is a joke and you know it! Every wolf here might not say it, but they damn well think I'm right. Humans have no respect for anyone or anything. They see us as weak, mindless beasts and they'll keep treatin' us that way if we don't step on 'em when they run underfoot. Today, they're just passin' through. Tomorrow they'll exterminate us. You of all people should know this," he said, his eyes fixated on Graw. "What I'm doing is called 'preventative measures.'

"Mana's back. Don't know how, don't know why. But the meekest of the meek that hide behind magic and borrowed power instead of real strength are gonna get real cocky again. You talk about how that old witch could obliterate us but look at what you did for the lil' witch girl. You bring her into our circle, sit her among our people and let her dishonor our ceremonies with her filthy presence. They don't even have to take our wolfen pride—we're giving it up for free!"

Ramus quickly moved so that he was standing directly over Musso. "We live a fragile existence of tolerance in the Lower Lands with the humans," he said. "Your unhinged methods of supposed prevention are just going to cause the doom you claim to be fighting against. Are you really willing to risk the welfare of the pack to fight an enemy that may not even exist?"

"They exist, you just don't wanna think about it."

Crouching, Ramus pulled Musso's jaw up into forced eye contact. "Let me ask you Musso, in the past nine or so years since the Darkening, how many times have humans attacked our pack?"

"None so far... but Mana's gonna change that."

"So you say. How about the nine years before, when Mana was flourishing? How many incidents then?"

Musso averted his eyes. "None..."

Ramus released him and stepped back. "And yet you say your violence is reactionary, that you're preventing harm. In a combined eighteen years we've had no notable clashes with the humans in the Lower Lands. You have no evidence of this looming threat, and you've failed to connect the witchling to it. If anything, you've proven the dangers of your own actions by threatening the family of Elinee."

Musso's chest rumbled with a low chuckle. "I'm wastin' my breath," he said. "It's clear you won't listen to a word I say. We'll see who's right soon enough."

"If that's all you have to say, the Council of Three will render its judgment."

The only communication between the trio of wolves was a shared, knowing look.

"It is by unanimous decision that you are condemned for your transgression," Graw said. "The full extent of your punishment will be decided later." He hit the ground with the staff again, dismissing Musso.

"He couldn't talk his way out of that one," Garr said. Satisfaction was written all over his face as he watched Musso drag himself beyond the circle and into one of the darker corners of the settlement.

Eliza couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness. "I don't know, it looked to me like he was pleased with his own performance."

"What did you expect from a meathead like that? He can't recognize a loss."

"Garr!" Graw's voice shredded the chatter like paper. "You've been summoned."

"What...?"

"I told you!" said Larso. "The last time we met... I saw you leave that city, I saw you with _her_. It's against the teachings. Whatever you've told them will be your undoing."

Larso's voice was worlds away. Reluctantly, Garr moved to the center of the circle and lowered himself to one knee before the council. He looked up into the eye of his father and saw a rare storm of uncertainty clouding his face.

Graw gripped the staff harder than ever before and jabbed the earth with it. "We, the Council of Three, will now pass judgment on Garr."

"You have been charged with leaving your people to immerse yourself in human culture," said Jet.

"Ah, young one," Ramus said, a sad smile upon his face. "It pains me to see this day, but... what say you to this charge?"

"It's not true!" Garr cried out.

Jet held no emotion as he said, "Are you saying that your time in the castle and villages, your participation in their cultural holidays, reading their books, eating their food, wearing their clothes—the things you told us, those are not true?"

"You're twisting what I told you! I just wanted to explain what happened to me, what I'd been through over the seasons!"

"You'll be allowed to speak soon," Graw said.

"The teachings are quite clear," Jet said. "The humans have their domain and we have ours. Humans have no respect for cultures that aren't their own. They will forcefully assimilate you and infect you with their corruption and sins. How do you reconcile going against the teachings to spend your days among them?"

"Garr," Graw spoke, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You may speak."

Garr had a sinking feeling, the one that always came to him in his dreams, but this was very real. He would not be swallowed up by the fear and darkness, or have his voice silenced and swept away into conformity.

"This is wrong," he said. "I know the teachings, I even repeated some of them out there, but all I've ever learned here was one side of the story. Those teachings hurt my friends and they hurt me by depriving me of learning on my own. I've seen those humans you always warned me about, the ones that walk with malice in every step, but I've met tremendous forces of good too.

"All the older wolves talk about how humans continually harm and endanger the land, but what right do we have to complain about the state of the world when we choose not to participate in it? I've seen things out there I never could have imagined if I'd stayed here... I'm not saying we should move into human villages, but something has to change. We live like nomads out here in the Lower Lands. What do we gain from this?"

"Spiritual purity," Jet replied. "We will _never_ be responsible for an event like the Darkening because we do not covet as the humans do. I fear for your integrity if you don't understand this..."

"Wolves much older and wiser than us observed the world as it was to develop the teachings," said Graw. "If you no longer believe in them, the choice you've made is clear."

Garr felt a lump in his throat. "What does that mean?"

"It means we now have a choice to make."

The council turned amongst each other, their discussion a rapid series of rough whispers that ended with Jet and Ramus looking to Graw, their features wrapped in apprehension. Graw turned back to Garr, his face unreadable.

"We, the Council of Three, have come to a decision. Garr, you are condemned for your transgression. Your punishment is immediate exile from the pack."

The pack erupted in an uproar of mixed reactions. Eliza bolted to Garr's side.

"You can't do this!" she cried. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine! The only reason he was in the castle was because he hurt himself protecting me."

"Did you force him to stay?" Jet asked.

"No, but we offered him—"

"He willingly went against the teachings, for _months_. We do not fault him or you for your hospitality... but once he was fully recovered, he should have removed himself from the situation."

"He didn't know where his family was. You'd rather have him out here wandering the wilderness all alone than sharing a safe space with humans?"

"He knows how to survive out here. We all do."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Be careful, witchling," Graw warned. "Your presence here is a privilege."

Eliza matched his gaze. "You're his dad; how can you be a part of this? Why is it that you could spend time around humans and remain uncompromised but he couldn't?"

"I don't know what exactly my son told you but don't pretend to know me," Graw said, subtle fury in his eye. "My pack was wiped out when I was just a cub and I spent many of my years among humans. I know there are benevolent humans, but those years taught me that it's your society that's broken. Humans that exude malice create a culture of fear and violence that leads to the subjugation and deaths of humans that do not. That is a kind of darkness with ravenous hunger, its goal to devour everyone and everything. Or would you deny the crimes of the Vandole Empire?"

"Vandole was a blight," Eliza agreed, "but the Mana Knight put that to rest!"

"The Mana Knight," Ramus said, humming his words. "I heard he was just a boy. Humans send a child to put right what they set wrong."

Eliza's frustration grew. "You blame us for the empire, you blame us for stopping it. There's no winning here."

Graw spoke again, his tone sharpened with rebuke. "A society that would let that empire swell and fester is the exact type of society that would never accept us, and we will not accept its influences under any circumstances. Garr went against the teachings. This is not new to him. Wolves that want to engorge themselves in that world can do so without bringing the infection back to us."

Garr stood up, put all his strength and energy into his posture as he stared down the council that decided his fate. "All I ever wanted over the past year was to find my family and have things go back to normal... but I realize that my sense of normal has changed. I can't go back to waiting my turn, hoping I fit in, listening to teachings I'm not allowed to question. What I just realized being here is... I don't think we have a future here. I don't believe in some sort of war or extermination plot like Musso does, but I do think we're depriving ourselves of our own potential in this world. Go ahead with the exile, or don't. It's not necessary. I'm done here. I can't do _this_ anymore."

Motioning for Eliza to follow, Garr departed. The council, the circle, the settlement, all left in the distance, any voices pleading to the contrary never found their way to his ears. He hiked through the forest until he could no longer carry the weight of his choices.

Garr, his body quivering, doubled over, panting. "Did that just happen? I can't believe I just walked away from my pack."

Eliza patted his back. "Sometimes we have to blast our past to soar toward our future."

"Is... is that something Elinee said?"

"No, just a Cannon Brother pitching a sale."

They stayed there in silence for a while, Eliza at a loss for what to say, Garr grappling with his feelings.

"This is my life now," the wolf finally said.

"It can be anything you want it to be."

"That's what scares me."

Garr's ears twitched as he recognized his name echo among the trees, heard the pounding of feet approaching. He braced himself as Raslene nearly toppled him over in a crushing embrace. As they parted, he managed a weak smile at the sight of her glossy eyes.

"I promised your mother I'd look after you," Raslene said. "All I've done is fail."

"Oh Razzy, you don't have to hold on to that burden anymore. I want to leave, and I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"I can't stand the thought of you out there. At first you were lost, but now you're officially a lone wolf."

That reality dawned on Garr for the first time. A lone wolf. He was officially pack-less. "So was my dad for a time. Look how he turned out."

"Graw's different," she said, rubbing at her eyes. "He had to create and maintain this impenetrable persona from a young age. You're much more open and empathic; I don't want this world to take advantage of you."

"Look, I might make a few mistakes but that's expected. You've got your own kids to worry about now."

"Speaking of which..." Raslene slapped Garr across the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"You should feel a lot of shame for making me chase after you like this. It wasn't that long ago that I gave birth, you know."

"Sorry, I had to get away from there... couldn't let anyone stop me..."

"Not even your old man?" Graw said, startling them from behind.

"I'm sorry, dad," Garr murmured, approaching his father at a sluggish, apprehensive pace. "I don't even know why I'm sorry, but I am."

"If being here makes you unhappy, go find your happiness. Nothing sorry about that." Graw squeezed his son's shoulders as he whispered, "You're free."

Garr latched on to his father and hugged him like it was the final time. After what felt like an eternity, they broke a part, and Graw flashed a warm smile at Eliza.

"Miss Eliza," he began, "despite what you heard or felt around the pack, we do not harbor hatred for humans. There is a deep valley of distrust that separates us, but it remains to be seen if that gap can ever be bridged. Even so... I am grateful for what you've done for Garr."

"Thank you for taking care of him when we couldn't," said Raslene.

"Ah, you're welcome," Eliza said. "I'm just glad I finally got to meet Garr's family after hearing him talk about you so much. But I did have a question about Musso... I'm assuming he's not getting the same punishment as Garr?"

Raslene fell silent, deferring to her leader.

Graw closed his eye with a deep sigh. "As you experienced firsthand, Musso has deep-rooted issues that make him more dangerous away from the pack than with us. It's a frustrating situation but he can't be trusted on his own."

"I understand," Eliza said, her focus on Garr.

They all said their last goodbyes as Graw and Raslene finally returned to the pack.

"This isn't the last time we'll see each other," Garr murmured. "My future is uncertain right now, but that's the one thing I am certain about."


	9. CH 9: Last of the Summer Dreams

**Chapter 9: Last of the Summer Dreams**

Elinee stormed throughout the living room after hearing news about Garr's ill-fated reunion. Eliza couldn't remember the last time she saw her aunt so worked up.

"How can a father banish his own child?" Elinee raged. "Unthinkable!"

"He has to uphold the teachings," Garr said, his voice flat.

"Teachings are for education, not punishment!"

"Those teachings are considered sacred. They're the foundation for life in the pack."

Elinee stopped in her tracks, taking notice of Garr's mood for the first time. "Garr, I'm sorry. I've been so caught up in my own feelings. How are you coping? You are surprisingly calm considering what happened."

Garr leaned forward in his seat, his gaze fixated on another place and time. "I feel like there's a hole inside me. It's sad that it had to come to this but... at the same time, it's like a weight was lifted. The main source of stress in my life always revolved around my pack—was I carrying my weight, would I ever find a true place in it—you know, things like that. Then I got here and all I could think about was if I would ever find my way back to them." The wolf chuckled. "Guess I got the answers to those questions today."

"Closure is something not all of us can find or recognize," Elinee said. "As horrific as the circumstances are behind it, I'm glad you received it. Now you have time to start planning your future."

"I may already have an idea."

"I have some ideas too," Eliza said. "Especially when it comes to decorating your room now that you don't have to worry about leaving."

"That's just it, though. I am leaving."

Eliza rocketed out of her seat, her stare drilling into Garr until he looked away. "Why? The wolves didn't want you here but you're free from them now. Why leave? It doesn't make sense."

"I'd just be exchanging one cage for another." Garr noticed Eliza's eyes flare up. "Don't get me wrong! I appreciate everything you've done for me here, but I'm _too_ comfortable in this castle."

"I don't understand," Eliza said in defiance.

"You've been showing and teaching me about this world and the things in it in your own way, but I didn't realize how little I knew until I saw the Lower Lands from the sky. This world is bigger than I imagined! If I'm leaving my old life behind, I'm going to take full advantage of my new freedom to do and see things I never could before."

"Why can't we do what we've always done and take trips on the broom?"

"This cursed forest is isolated from everything, like its own little world with you two as the only beacons of light. I want to go further than the Lower Lands. I want to follow my impulses and curiosity without worrying about being back somewhere at a certain time. And I... um... I'd like to find my mother."

Eliza collapsed in her seat, defeated.

Elinee came over and touched Garr's shoulder. "Do you know where she is, dear?"

"No... but we went all over the Lower Lands searching for my pack and at no point did anyone describe a shewolf that sounded like her, so I'm sure she's not here."

"What if you don't find her?" Eliza asked.

"I wasn't sure I'd find my pack and look how that turned out."

"But she could be anywhere in the world. It might take you ages to find her..."

Garr moved over to Eliza and knelt next to her, but she turned her head to look in any direction but his. "Eliza," he murmured. "I know you're not happy with this, but I remember the things we said on the beach... this doesn't change anything. I'm still your friend. I'm only going to be gone for a while. I promise I'll come back."

She finally turned to him, her eyes still filled with defiance. "Is that a promise you can keep?"

Garr nodded. "Believe it or not, the reason I can do this is because of you guys. Going beyond the Lower Lands terrifies me, honestly. Knowing there's someone waiting for me back here gives me the courage to go out there."

"I hope you find her," Eliza said.

"Just don't go giving away my room while I'm gone," the wolf said with a grin.

"Don't be too shocked if I decorate it while you're gone."

"Go ahead, surprise me. It's just another thing to look forward to when I get back."

* * *

Garr thought preparing for his journey over the next week would be a simple affair; grab some supplies, a map, and begin plotting out a path. But with Eliza and Elinee involved, it became an exhausting affair filled with magical relics whose purpose he couldn't remember, names of people from important places he'd never heard of, and dozens of maps detailing regions he wasn't sure he'd visit. When the witches were distracted, Garr slipped out of the castle for a bit of respite.

As he wandered under the arches of the courtyard, all the sensations of the Haunted Forest took on a new but still familiar feeling. Everything from the warm air to the soft squelch of the grass beneath his feet crackled with possibilities. His own optimism surprised him. The life of a lone wolf was rarely regarded with anything more than pity or contempt within the pack. Now that he was on the outside, the amount of freedom within his grasp was overwhelming.

Among the shadows of the arches, a shape that did not belong summoned Garr's attention. He peered up to see a golden wolf lounging atop an arch.

"What are you doing here?" Garr asked, his tone none too welcoming.

Larso flashed a smile. "You left without saying goodbye. Raslene wanted to come, but there was that whole thing with being a new mom—it'd be pretty weird if she went off scouting. And she couldn't just leave Jet with the twins. I've never seen him get so frazzled and defeated between two crying infants."

"Hmph." Garr stood his ground, his glare burning so deeply that Larso felt his skin prickle.

"You're still upset with me? Don't be this way."

"You told me I was ruined! You made me think something was wrong with me!"

Larso slid off the arch, dropping down next to Garr. When Larso reached out for him, he only grabbed air where Garr used to be. "Look, I'm sorry! I was trying to protect you and had to come up with something on the spot. I knew what would happen if you found your way back to the pack."

"Why didn't you just tell me that at the time?"

"Be honest, would you have stopped looking for the pack if I said you violated the teachings and would be punished?"

"Of course not! Look around you—does this look like the heart of human society? The teachings can work as guidelines but not to this extreme, don't you think?"

Larso grimaced, rubbing his arm as his discomfort showed. "It's not my place to say..."

"That's ridiculous!" Garr said. He was so close Larso could feel his breath against his face. "It is your place! And until recently, it was mine too! Just think, one day one of us can be... _could_ be Alpha. Would you uphold something you don't fully believe in? What if the rest of the pack doesn't believe in it either? The teachings were written for a world we don't live in anymore."

Larso fell into silence under the weight of Garr's rant.

Garr released a long sigh, and with it, the stress of the past few days. "I didn't mean to unload on you like that. My life was upended, and I needed to vent. Guess neither of us were in a position to do anything about the way the pack works."

"Yeah, sorry. I've never really thought of stuff like changing the teachings," Larso said, his voice meek.

"Don't worry about it. And... I forgive you. I get what you were trying to do."

"They couldn't kick you out if you didn't come back. Sounds a little childish now that I say that."

Larso always had a vibrance to him. It was one of the reasons Garr liked being around him, and the exact reason he felt anxious seeing the wolf's mood weighed down with despondence. For the first time that he could recall, Garr comforted the one he considered a big brother.

"I told you, I get it," he said, patting Larso's shoulder. "By the way, how's my dad doing?"

"You know Graw, suffering in silence."

"He hasn't really said anything about any of this?"

"To me?" Larso had to stifle a laugh. "He's got a really short list of people he confides in and I'm not on it."

"Not much of a surprise. My name had a tendency to slip on and off that list."

Larso grinned, a mischievous grin that stretched wider than it had any right.

"What are you smiling about?" Garr asked, unsettled by the sight.

"Are you gonna explain those swanky pants I saw you wearing that one time, or do I have to wrestle it out of you?"

* * *

By the time Eliza noticed Garr was gone, she realized it had been a while since she laid eyes on him. It was simple to deduce that they were going overboard, overwhelming him with all the planning for his departure. She'd grown so used to him slipping away over the seasons that she knew exactly where to look for him.

Eliza heard voices as soon as she stepped into the courtyard and spotted the two wolves conversing by an archway. She ducked back into the shadows of the doorway, a range of emotions flowing through her from Larso's presence. Anger from the pack exiling Garr and for Larso making him feel low and unwanted. Sympathy followed when she remembered Larso wanted to protect Garr, and that Garr described them once as like brothers—brothers that would rarely see each other from this point on.

She took a chance and peeped out of the shadows again only to realize she'd long been made from the way Larso was staring at her.

"Eliza!" Garr called. "Come over here!"

"We've never been formally introduced," Larso said.

Garr pulled Eliza in and presented her like a life-size trophy. "Eliza, this is Larso."

"Hello," she said. Peering into his azure eyes, she found no trace of the resentment the other wolves in the pack held for her presence.

Larso smirked. "So... Garr tells me you like to peek under the curtains."

When realization dawned on Eliza, she grabbed Garr by the base of his ears and pulled. "Why would you tell him something like that?"

"I had to explain the pants!" Garr whined.

"It was part of an outfit!" she explained. "I just wanted him to look nice. We even brushed his fur so it could be..." She took notice of Larso's fur and how pristine it was. "Actually, I wanted his fur to be more like yours."

Larso offered his arm. "You wanna?"

Eliza reached out, her hand shaking with hesitation as if hovering near an open flame.

"It's so silky smooth!" she exclaimed at the touch. "See Garr, if you brushed more your fur could be this luxurious."

"You heard that, Garrie? My fur is luxurious."

Garr tilted his head to the sky. "Ugh."

"I've tried to teach him my brushing regimen," Larso said. "He just never sticks with it."

"There aren't enough hours in the day," Garr muttered.

"You're not so bad. For a human, I mean," Larso said. "You know quality when you see it."

"You're pretty decent yourself," Eliza shot back. "Garr made you sound like a self-absorbed jerk."

"He did, huh?" Larso cut Garr a look that said he'd be eating those words if Eliza wasn't there.

"This was a much better first impression than Musso's."

"That's not a high bar to clear."

"About Musso... is he okay?" Garr asked.

Both Eliza and Larso stared at Garr in disbelief.

"Garr, how can you ask that? After what he tried to do to us!" Eliza berated him.

"As aggravating as Musso can be, the pack is a family," Garr said. "I wish he didn't take things so far. I never wanted to hurt him."

Larso chuckled. "Don't worry about Musso, the only thing Cure Water couldn't heal was his ego. Thanks to his punishment, he knows what it's like to be you in the pack now."

"See? He's fine and he got what he deserved," Eliza said, though both wolves felt there was a little too much satisfaction in her voice. "You don't have to worry about making amends with everyone before you go."

"Go?" Larso repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Where are you going?"

Garr fiddled with his thumbs, a pained look upon his face. "I never got the chance to tell you that I'm going out into the world to see what's out there... and hopefully find my mom."

Larso was taken aback. "I guess me dropping by here won't become a regular thing, huh? But it makes sense for you to go exploring. There's no one holding you back now. Not sure if I could do it. I hope you find Sylva, though. Always wondered what became of her."

"Larso... I will be back."

"Even so, we live in two separate worlds now. The only reason I could make this detour while scouting was because the pack isn't that far away from the Haunted Forest. Oh yeah, and 'cause I'm quick as lightning!"

Garr felt a pang of sadness. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Like I said, this was a detour. Got to get back to the pack sometime, you know?"

"I don't know how but we'll meet again," Garr said, pulling Larso into a hug.

"Garr, always the sentimental one."

"Weren't _you_ the one that came here looking for _him_?" Eliza asked with a smirk.

Larso coughed. "Stay well, lil' bro. You and Sylva better have some great stories when you get back."

* * *

The day of departure arrived before daylight itself, stemming from Garr's desire to strike out while the heat was still bearable. With an old rucksack over his shoulder and a case of the jitters underneath, the wolf found himself standing in the courtyard once again, with Eliza and Elinee bidding him farewell.

After a week of what felt like too many goodbyes and too many promises to return, the time had finally come.

"You sure you don't want me to drop you off anywhere to give you a head start?" Eliza asked, motioning to her broom.

"Thanks, but I just want to go wherever my legs take me," Garr said.

"You haven't changed your mind on carrying a few magical items, have you?" Elinee asked. She seemed ready to sprint inside and grab them if he said otherwise.

"I told you, I shouldn't have need for those, not even the Luna trinkets. I don't want to accidentally turn myself into a rabite."

"It's true that moon magic can be quite fickle," Elinee thought aloud.

"I hope you two know how much I appreciate everything," Garr said. "In many ways, you've treated me better than my pack."

"You've been saying that for days!" Eliza said. "Don't worry, we understand how you feel."

Elinee wore a dream-like smile as she said, "Don't be afraid to introduce us to a mate if you find her. I'll anticipate your return with lots of pups, dear."

Flustered at the thought, Garr said, "Um... I wouldn't look forward to that."

"The offer still stands, dear. We'll welcome him with open arms just as we did with you."

Garr furrowed his brows. "That's _not_ what I meant!"

Eliza sighed. "You better go before she starts naming your unborn children."

"I did like the sound of Gree," Elinee said. "Gree McGraw."

"I'm outta here!" Garr took off at a sprint. They all waved to each other until he was swallowed up by the depths of the Haunted Forest.

"It's just us girls again," Elinee said.

"Yeah," Eliza murmured. "Just us..."

Elinee retreated into the castle while Eliza wandered about the courtyard, wrapped in her own thoughts. With every passing minute she imagined where Garr was and what new thing he'd discover. But those were only surface level thoughts; beneath those came the depressing feeling that the only true friend she made since returning to the Lower Lands was that much farther away.

Eliza shook her head, and with it the anxiety and sadness. Garr's journey was his choice. She couldn't do anything to stop him.

But there had been one wrong she'd yet to set right.

* * *

"If Garr can take chances, so can I," Eliza said, poring over the pages of the Necronomicon.

In the dead of night, isolated in the secret room behind the bookcase, Eliza gave in to her anger and desperation. The tome held the justice she sought. Within its pages was the solution to loneliness, the secret to seeing Spikey again.

Finally, she stumbled across the page for the resurrection spell. She studied its contents and imagery, laying out how to call one back from beyond. One detail puzzled her—the need for a condensed, massive source of Mana to stabilize the spell. A seed-shaped idea came to her, and she smiled in the shadows.

"Don't worry, Spikey. I'm going to fix this mistake."

**~End**

* * *

**Afterword**

Whew! This was a long time coming.

What was supposed to be a nine-chapter side story to _New Testaments: Secret of Mana_ ended up being a somewhat challenging, drawn out process that ran into writer's block, apathy, and even entire chunks of story lost to corrupted MS Word files. But it's done, and now I've got that warm feeling you get when you're determined to finish a project and finally succeed. And even though it's over, this was just one chapter in a much larger book. What will become of Garr out in the world? What consequences will Eliza's meddling with the Necronomicon bring? Any unresolved plotlines and most of the characters within this story will be revisited in _New Testaments DX: Secret of Mana_ proper.

Of all the scenes throughout the story, one of my favorites occurs in Chapter 5 after the Kippo encounter. Eliza suggests using Garr to ease the villagers into accepting him as a member of a foreign race, and Elinee shuts her down in defense of him. It's an empathetic, emotionally intelligent rebuttal pulled from real life experiences, and gives the audience a peak under the sweet granny veil Elinee normally wears.

I have ideas for a sequel, tentatively called _Bristles & Ash_, that would take place around two years after _New Testaments DX: Secret of Mana_, or about three years after the start of this story. Besides the return of Eliza and Garr, there would be more characters, and a larger scope. The world and the characters living in it will be slightly different after the events of NTSoM, so it will be interesting and fun to revisit them. Since the follow up to _Changing of the Seasons_ happens after NTSoM, it makes sense that I wouldn't start writing it until the main story is over... which is just a nice way of me saying there's no current timetable for when it'll happen.


End file.
